


The Ballad of the Pirate of Terminus

by DaeMEon



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bloodplay, Bondage and Discipline, Dark, Drugged Sex, F/F, F/M, Knifeplay, Mass Effect Kink Meme, Mental Anguish, Mental Breakdown, Multi, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Sexual Abuse, Sexual Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-29
Updated: 2013-04-24
Packaged: 2017-12-06 19:46:35
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 13
Words: 72,599
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/739427
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaeMEon/pseuds/DaeMEon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In an alternative universe without Reapers, Shepard is a ruthless pirate, hunted by the ambitious alliance officer Ashley Williams. The chase gets very personal when Shepard captures agent Miranda Lawson and a game of cat and mouse begins, where their pasts collide and old grievances begin to unravel their lives completely. </p><p>Written for a prompt on the kinkmeme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Fate of the MSV Strontium Mule

“MSV Strontium Mule this is the SSV Normandy. Shut down your engines and prepare to be boarded.” The comm crackled, sending shivers down the crew’s spine. Freight ships dreaded that name. The pilots exchanged nervous glances, and looked up at the woman standing behind them, looking out the viewport at the approaching silhouette.  
“Operative Lawson?” the captain asked.  
She looked down and nodded curtly to the pilots, who started to comply with the order.

“Get ready, Jacob” she radioed down to the cargo bay. “Everybody, take your positions.”  
She tapped the captain’s shoulder encouragingly and hurried out to take her place in the corridors. They have been planning this operation for months now, they can’t screw this up! Shepard and his ship has been a growing pain for the Alliance ever since he stole the prototype vessel from Arcturus Station more than a year ago. He has eluded capture a number of times, dodging the teams sent after him with uncanny cleverness. 

When Miranda Lawson was assigned to this mission her job was simple: set a trap for the Normandy and neutralize Shepard before he can further damage humanity’s reputation in the eyes of the Council.  
“Here we go” she muttered to herself and checked her gun as she heard the distinct clicking sounds of the Normandy latching onto the cargo ship. Everybody waited.

It was all over, really, before it began. There was a power outage, a few explosions and then smoke grenades and Blue Suns mercs flooding the ship from all directions. Apparently they used the Normandy’s shuttle to sneak around the freighter while they were occupied with the big blip on the radar, and a small team hacked into the cargo hold from below. Jacob’s team was neutralized first.

Miranda was choking in the smoke, trying to hold out near the bridge, but she was just firing blindly into the smoke. The mercenaries were crude but effective as they swept the corridors. She was ready to make her last stand, when she heard the familiar crackle of power and a blue shockwave rushed along the corridor, blowing away the smoke. Miranda fell back, firing up her amp, scrambling for the gun that slipped from her grasp. A voice rang out in the dim emergency lighting.

“It’s over, Miss Lawson!” said a pleasant female voice. The asari! Miranda snarled. She was a formidable biotic. “The ship is captured! Surrender and the crew will be spared!”  
She was ready to shout back some insults, but they were one step ahead of her.  
“There’s somebody here who wants to talk to you, Operative!”  
“Miranda! It’s Jacob!” A pause. “Uh, they got us! I’m sorry!”

Miranda hissed, cursing under her breath, crouching behind a corner. How could this have happened?! She did everything perfectly! She ALWAYS did everything perfectly! This was not how it was supposed to go down. Her mind raced, but she could see no solution.  
“Tick-tock, Lawson!” yelled the asari. “Or your boyfriend gets it!” she added the threat without bothering to repeat the offer.

“Fuck” she cursed, standing up, her heart beating rapidly. She felt the blood rush to her head, she was dizzy and nauseous from the failure.  
“Fine! I’m coming out!” she shouted and slowly stepped out into the corridor. She slid the weapon down the corridor and walked up to the dark silhouettes with arms raised.

From the thinning smoke, the shapes started to emerge, and suddenly the power was back, light filling the corridors. Standing before Miranda, holding a gun to a kneeling Jacob’s head, clad in leather shorts, a bra and a small leather vest that left her midriff naked stood the asari Liara T’Soni, licking her lips eagerly. 

“Hello, Miss Lawson” she purred. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

The Blue Suns mercs cuffed her hands behind her back and led her and Jacob down the corridors towards the airlock, Liara walking in front of them with a spring in her steps, hips swaying, almost cheerfully.

Waiting at the airlock was a dark-skinned man with a thin beard and weathered face. He waved to the mercenaries, who shoved them down on their knees. Liara leaned against the wall, swinging her pistol leisurely. The guy was grinning wide as he bent closer to Miranda.  
“Hello, sweetheart. What have we here?” he reached to lift her chin up. She looked him straight in the eye. “Some catch.”

“She’s mine, Santiago” came a voice behind him. The name sounded familiar to Miranda, just like the voice. The guy was the actual leader of Blue Suns, but still, the other voice made her shudder.  
Santiago straightened and turned towards the new arrival.  
Shepard appeared in the airlock, stepping onto the freighter’s deck. Liara immediately bounced to his side and wrapped a hand around his waist, purring.  
“She’s part of the deal.” Shepard warned and looked down at the prisoners. “Ah, Miranda. It’s been a long time.”

Miranda looked at him, quietly. She wanted to throw an insult at him, but that would just amuse the man. Her eyes told everything. Locking his gaze with Miranda, he spoke again.  
“Hey, Jacob. How’s it going?”  
“Same old same old” he replied. There was rustling, as he stood up, and then the clicking of cuffs. “Everything went like clockwork.”

Miranda’s eyes widened and she turned her head, staring at Jacob.  
“You...” she gasped as Shepard chuckled. “You did this...”  
It wasn’t the plan, she realized. It was the betrayal, that defeated her.  
Jacob rubbed his wrists as he shrugged.  
“It’s not business, Miranda. It’s personal.”

Miranda lunged at Jacob with a snarl, trying to stand up on one leg and throw her weight into him, her biotics flaring up. She slammed into the man, but strong arms grabbed her shoulders and then there was that damn asari and her biotic field. The shockwave reeled her back, throwing aside the mercs holding her. She slammed into the wall behind her, wind knocked out of her. She was still wheezing, when Liara grabbed her arm and started to pull her on the floor towards the Normandy.

“Geez!” Jacob exclaimed as he collected himself, standing straight.  
A quarian appeared with a large, metal briefcase.  
“Is that it, Tali?” Shepard asked.  
“Yes, Shepard” the quarian replied meekly.  
Shepard turned towards Santiago.

“Well, Vido, this concludes our deal. The briefcase and the girl. The rest is yours.”  
They shook hands, and parted ways like good businessmen. Jacob helped dragging the still gasping Miranda on board the Normandy, the nervously shifting quarian girl bringing up the rear. The doors closed behind them with a loud hiss.

“Get us out of here, Joker” the captain ordered.  
“Aye aye.”  
And they were off.

Miranda was dragged to her feet and walked across the CIC to the elevators, the crew turning their heads to take a look at the prisoner. The asari clinged to Shepard’s arm, swaying her hips, with a little spring in her step. She constantly looked behind her to check Miranda, led by Jacob, holding the arm.  
“Personal, Jacob?” Miranda hissed to the traitor. “What could possibly worth it?!”  
Jacob opened his mouth to reply but Shepard cut him off.  
“We’ll take it from here, Jacob. Help Tali with the case and settle in. We’ll see you later.”  
“But...” Taylor protested, but the elevator opened, and Shepard lifted a hand.  
“All in good time, my friend.”

Liara reached out and grabbed Miranda’s arm with a hungry smile and dragged her into the elevator. Apparently she couldn’t stay still for a second, she was snaking her body every which way. Shepard stepped in and pressed a button. The doors closed and Liara was already all over him, clinging to his neck and kissing him hungrily, her leg rubbing up against his thigh.

Miranda stood there, blinking, watching the asari grind her hip against the man’s crotch, moaning into his mouth. It was like she wasn’t there. But then Liara got enough, apparently, and still clinging to Shepard she turned towards Miranda.  
“She’s cute, Shepard. Can we keep her?”

The asari shoved her into the captain’s quarters, bouncing excitedly, dragging her to the middle of the spacious room, turning her around, checking her out from every angle. Shepard watched with a chuckle, dropping down some datapads on his desk, throwing his jacket off. He tapped the comm. “Kelly. Have nobody disturb us for the next hour. Let Tali know to install the device immediately.”

Not waiting for an answer he straightened up and folded his hands across his chest, watching Liara poke and prod their prisoner.  
“So what? You’re going to keep me as a hostage, or sell me to the batarians?” Miranda asked defiantly. Liara was snaking behind her, rubbing against her back, resting her chin on Miranda’s shoulder. Her hands started to run up and down her waist and the front of her jumpsuit. Miranda tried to brush her off.

“No, Miranda” Shepard chuckled. “I think I’m gonna keep you to ourselves.”  
“I always wanted a pet.” Liara chimed in cheerily, still leaning on Miranda’s shoulder, smelling her neck, her hair, while her hands roamed over her body. She grabbed a handful of hair and pulled her head back to expose her neck a little, licking the skin for a taste.

“You are part of my payment from Blue Suns for pulling this job off... nice try, by the way.” He just stood there and let the asari play with her. Liara’s blue hands started to undo the top of her jumpsuit, slowly, teasingly, while she was purring into her ears. “It may have worked. We would have walked right into this one. Good thing we had Jacob, huh?”

Liara yanked her top open and dragged it down her arms. Miranda tried to shift out of her grasp, grimacing, but the asari was all over her, snarling, snapping at her with her teeth, tugging her jacket. She only wore a short tank top under that, and the asari’s blue hands were already finding their way under the fabric. Miranda squirmed.  
“What— what did you promise him?” she tried to stay on topic.  
“You, actually” replied Shepard. “Not that I intend to keep that promise. He’s a traitor after all... We’ll see. Maybe he can have a taste or something.”

Liara grabbed the rim of the top, and looked at Shepard with big, round eyes.  
“Can I?”  
“Yes, doll,” Shepard nodded with a benign smile, like letting a child eat another candy bar.  
Liara squealed and yanked the top up and with a bit of a struggle, pulled it over Miranda’s head.  
She yelped in protest, shifting left and right, breasts jiggling.  
“Shep-Shepard— seriously?” Miranda exclaimed. “This is it? This is all you want?” she gave a shove to the eager asari, and managed to step away. “You want to do this? Why? This is low even for—”  
She could not finish. Shepard backhanded her, her head snapping to the side, just as Liara pounced her from behind with an angry snarl. “Bad kitty!” she hissed, scratching her nails across Miranda’s naked belly.

“Enough already, Lawson,” Shepard hissed, slapping her across the cheek again. “Had enough of your snotty crap!” He grabbed her jaw and squeezed hard, while the asari was breathing excitedly behind her, fiddling with her pants, trying to unbutton. “Setting a trap, Miranda?! Don’t you speak about low!”

Miranda groaned in pain, staring defiantly into his eyes, trapped between the two. “Fuck you,” she hissed. “You do the same.”  
She gasped as her pants were yanked down her legs. Liara stopped to bite into her ass playfully, making Miranda yelp again.  
Shepard laughed. “Pirate.” he said smirking. “At least I’m not pretending to be somebody else.” he snarled. “Unlike you and your little friends.”

“Still cheap, Shepard.” She felt her shorts tugged down to her ankles, anxious hands running along her legs and groping her thighs and ass. She tried to keep her voice calm, and choke down the fear. This was overwhelming her and she was smart enough to know where this could lead. She was desperately hoping there was an other answer, but she had to ask.  
“Really. What do you want from me?”  
“Nothing.” he shrugged, grabbing her waist. He pressed his lips against her. “This.” he said, mouths pressed together, looking into her eyes, then stepped back. “She’s all yours, Liara.”  
The asari squeaked excitedly and grabbed her hair.

Miranda was still reeling from the shock of her hair being pulled so hard, eyes watering, when she was thrown on the bed, hands still cuffed behind her. Her pants and shorts were dragged off from her legs and the asari was already straddling her.

She blinked, looking at Liara with a frown, lips pressed thin. The asari girl was grinding her hip against her slowly, stroking herself up and down, grabbing her own breasts through the tiny vest. She stared at Miranda, bared her teeth and ripped her top open, revealing the lush, blue orbs, her tits bouncing free. With a hungry gasp she dived down, pressing their breasts together and attacking Miranda’s lips with passion.

She heard Shepard chuckle from somewhere in the room, while Liara rubbed off on her, trying to press her tongue into her mouth. Miranda knew it was pointless to resist, she knew that it was exactly what Liara and Shepard wanted, but she couldn’t just lay still and let it all happen. It was her body. She started shaking her head to avoid the asari’s lips, bucking her hips to shake her off.

Liara giggled and went along with the wrestling match, snarling and growling playfully, nibbling Miranda’s cheek, lips, neck, breasts pressed together. After a few tries, the asari grabbed her jaw to hold her head still. Miranda spat on her face, which apparently caught Liara off guard. Miranda shifted her hip, twisted it to the side and gave a big push, rolling the surprised asari off of her with a frustrated moan.

Liara’s eyes went wide as she wiped her face, looking shocked at the saliva on her hands. Then she snarled, grabbed Miranda’s head between her hands and as she jumped back onto her, she let out a biotic charge.

The pain and shock was intense, like a thousand tiny explosions in her head, enormous pressure on her skull. Her eyes hurt, ears started ringing and tears sprung into her eyes. She tried to scream but she couldn’t find her voice, she bit down on her tongue.

By the time she had the control to gasp for air, she felt the soft lips on her own, and a warm tongue exploring her mouth. She felt the pleasure, the greedy lust, and it felt very nice for a few seconds until she could think again. The asari’s skin had a silky texture, different from a human but it made her lips tingle.

Liara sucked on her tongue, pulling away and letting it slip away from her smooth lips, and when she started to lick and bite and kiss her way down Miranda’s neck, she was finally able to take a few big breaths, fighting the panic. It was suffocating, her ears still ringing, and she felt like there’s not enough air in the room.

What could have been a pleasant foreplay, which she would have enjoyed in other circumstances, was an invasion, increasing the invisible pressure on her body that just made her panic more. There was a jolt of pleasure when Liara’s lips found her nipple, that shocked her back a little, making it easier to breathe, and she could finally focus on the ceiling. Still breathing heavily, she was staring into space, feeling the odd, silky touch of the asari as she fondled her breasts, showering her curves with warm, wet, tingling kisses.

There was a slight disconnection between her mind and body, but not enough that she could ignore it, and not close enough to let her body take over. Her senses started to return to their normal state, and she heard an excited and surprised gasp as Liara spread her thighs apart and started pulling her sex open.  
“I’ve never—” she sighed, leaning between human thighs. “This is so—” she couldn’t find the words as she saw a woman’s sex for the first time. “—pink.” Liara said finally tugging and stretching Miranda’s folds. She felt nauseous. It just felt wrong.

She felt hot breath on her lap, kisses and nibbles above her clit, hands spreading her thighs wider and licking and kissing between them. She didn’t dare to look down, just stared at the ceiling, and then jumped, when Liara found her slit and licked between her folds.

She was very clumsy at first, too rough, aimless, making Miranda gasp in discomfort.  
“No, silly,” Shepard chided Liara, his voice coming from closer. “Remember what I showed you.”  
Miranda closed her eyes in shame.

Shepard was whispering something into Liara’s ear, maybe instructions on what to do, to which the asari replied with knowing hums, and then Miranda gasped as she felt tongue on her sex again.  
“Please,” she whined, wanting them to stop this. The touches were light and playful but she could take no pleasure from it. She looked down to see the asari girl pressing her mouth to her sex with eyes closed and Shepard kneeling at the foot of the bed with an amused smile.  
“Please,” she had to look away.

Soon she felt her body respond, her lap getting warmer and moist, and she felt them shuffling on the bed. She felt a warm finger probe inside her, making her hip jerk in surprise, then Liara giggling excitedly, moaning for Miranda too as she explored more of her body.  
“So wet and-- and SOFT” Liara breathed in awe, her finger moving around, marvelling at the human anatomy. She turned to Shepard, eyes wide with excitement. “I want to see. Now.”

Miranda groaned. She wanted to turn away, bury her face into the pillows, but she felt hands on her knees, pressing them apart, Shepard laughing, and clothes rustling, Liara giggling. She forced herself to look at them. Shepard was almost naked, Liara pulling his pants off. The man smiled at the asari girl.  
“Shepard,” Miranda begged “Please— Don’t do this.”  
She didn’t dare to lower her gaze when Liara looked down and gasped in excitement, bending down, disappearing from Miranda’s view.

“Please, Shepard— not like this—” Miranda whispered, getting more desperate, trying to close her legs, muscles tensing against his grip. Liara was moaning, mouth full, wet sounds coming from down below. “Please, don’t—”  
Shepard looked at Miranda with a feral grin, squeezing her legs in his grip.  
“Relax, Ms. Lawson.” He said in a low voice. “It’s gonna be fun.”

She was still whispering pleads when Liara lifted her head from between their legs with a big sigh, lips all wet and guided Shepard into her. Miranda cried out, staring into his eyes desperately, begging him to stop as he pushed in.

It was not pleasant, but it didn’t hurt either, and it was hard and soft at the same time, his cock sank in without too much resistance. It was designed to give pleasure, but Miranda couldn’t feel it. She knew her body was reacting, adapting to the sensation, and she felt more shame because it didn’t even hurt and didn’t make her scream. Finally she was able to drift away far enough to lock out most of what was happening to her. She felt the warmth of his cock, her body rocking, Liara purring and moaning with each thrust, she felt hands on her breasts.

And then hot liquid on her torso, and it was over. She stopped crying, but she didn’t know how much time passed. The pressure stopped between her legs and she felt Shepard and the asari fall on the bed next to her, entangled in a wild embrace. She felt the bed rocking as Shepard made Liara cum screaming. By the time they caught their breaths, Miranda was back in her body, feeling filthy. Liara fondled her breasts, licked off the juices from her with slow, long moves, and she rubbed herself all over her in the process.

They started dressing up, forgetting her for a while. Shepard went to his desk, taking care of things and Liara stretched and lurked around like a cat. When she got bored, she went to Miranda and dragged her out of the bed, forcing her down on her knees at the foot of the bed, grabbing her hair and tussled it. She WAS treating Miranda like a pet, infatuated with her new toy, like a child.

The quarian girl arrived soon, gave something to Shepard and delivered a quick report on the installation, shuffling uneasily, shooting awkward glances at the naked human female in the middle of the room, trying to pretend it’s normal. Shepard complimented the quarian and sent her off. 

He had a metal collar in his hand. He walked over to Miranda and with Liara clapping her hands behind him excitedly, he snapped the collar around her neck. Miranda felt something tingle in her spine and a soft buzz in the back of her head.

“It has a biotic dampening field in it” explained Shepard and winked. “Custom made.” He turned away and waved at Liara, who dragged her on her feet. “Come on, let’s make a call.”

* * * * *

Lieutenant Commander Ashley Williams was slowly going mad at her desk. She knew something was wrong when Miranda’s team didn’t report in, but there was not a thing she could do until the extraction team reached the last known location. It was going to be bad news. She just didn’t know HOW bad and what went wrong.

She tried every method to get some information and then every method to remain calm. It’s been hours, and she was powerless. The command center was on full alert, but she didn’t feel like going down there and freaking out in front of her men. So she waited in her office and quietly went crazy.

Garrus on the other hand was the epitome of calmness, as he sat on the couch across the room. He leaned back, one leg bent under him, the other extended, and fiddled with a nut-like turian fruit. It was hard to open, much like a walnut, only more metals in it. The turian’s claws were ideal for the job. He opened it with a loud crack which made Ashley jump. She glared at Garrus, who shrugged and popped the kernel into his mouth and started the long process of chewing it to a pulp.

He didn’t say a word.

Ashley groaned in frustration, standing up again, and started pacing the room. She was halfway across when the call came. She rushed to her desk and pressed the receive button while sliding into her chair. Then she froze.

The picture was shaky and not the best quality, but it was definitely Miranda on the other end. She looked like hell, hair dishevelled, eyes puffy and red as she slowly looked up into the camera. There was something around her neck. Also, she appeared to be naked. It was hard to tell from the closeup, but her shoulders were visible.

“Miranda...” Ashley gasped.  
“Ash” she whispered. “Jacob sold us out—” she started to say before she was pushed away. The camera shook, zoomed out a bit and there he was. Holding Miranda by her hair, former Commander Shepard grinned, laughing at her shocked expression.

“Hello, Ashley. Missed me?” There was some ruffling in the background, a third person. Miranda cast her eyes down, Shepard leaning on her shoulder. “I know you did. That’s why you sent me a present.”  
“What do you want?” Ashley hissed finally, when she found her voice. Garrus was somehow already at the desk, very alert.  
“Just wanted to thank you. She is VERY delicious.” He rolled his eyes. “Finally!”  
Ashley slammed her fist down.  
“Enough with the games. What do you want with her? A ransom?”

Shepard snorted. Somebody grabbed Miranda and pulled her away from the camera. There was a yelp and then the asari appeared, tugging their prisoner into the background. Shepard shuffled into a more comfortable position.  
“Don’t be ridiculous, Ash!” his expression became very strict. “I don’t need your fucking money.”  
“Then why did you call? There must be something!” Snarled Ashley, trying to ignore the asari handling Miranda in the background. She wanted to scream.

“I just wanted to say, we’re even.” Shepard smiled again and nodded behind him. “She took you away from me. So now I take her away from you. It’s only fair.”  
Ashley closed her eyes for a long second, trying to breathe normally. She shook her head.  
“This can’t be it, Shepard. You could have left her out of it...”

“She came after me, Ash!” he snarled. “Setting me a trap! FOR ME!” Shepard was working himself up. “I called to tell you this: Stay the fuck away from me. If I as much as smell your perfume on any move against me, I’m gonna sell your pretty little girlfriend to the first batarian team who needs a guinea pig for their experiments.” He hissed, matching Ashley’s anger at this point. He paused, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes. When he opened them and looked directly into the camera, his maniac grin was back. “I hear she would be the perfect specimen. And GOSH she is...” he licked his lips.

Ashley pressed her lips thin, meeting Shepard’s gaze.  
“She is my insurance policy. Stay away and I’ll keep her as a pet. Come after me, and—” he winked and cut the feed.

Ashley closed her eyes and let out a long, painful moan, burying her face in her palms. Garrus was already on the comm. “He broadcasted it on our frequency. They saw it down at the command center. Anderson is on his way.” He reported matter of factly. “He wants to meet you downstairs.”

Ashley nodded and collapsed back into her chair, looking up at Garrus with a painful expression. “This is so FUBAR.” she sighed.

Garrus put a clawed hand on her shoulder. He felt her whole body shivering. “We’ll get her back, sister. Come on.”

At the command center, it was a blur of activity. The extraction team reported in, analysts were reviewing the message, checking for clues, people were calling other divisions. Anderson was already down there, waiting. There was a tall turian with him with intricate, white markings on his face. Garrus hissed appraisingly. Walking one step behind Ashley, he quickly whispered. “That’s Nihlus Kyrik. He’s a Spectre.”  
Ashley nodded curtly to signal she understood, before they reached the trio. Ashley took a deep breath.

“General.” she nodded to Anderson, then turned towards the turian. “Spectre.”  
Anderson started immediately.  
“What happened, Williams?”  
“Apparently, Jacob Taylor—”  
“We all saw the broadcast, Williams. How could this have happened?”  
Ashley blushed slightly upon hearing the first part. “We were betrayed—” One stare from Anderson and she fell quiet for a moment. “I take full responsibility, sir.”  
Anderson lifted a hand to stop her.  
“We realize that Taylor’s betrayal was something we could not foresee. But he played you.”  
“I know, general, and I can assure you that we will take every—”  
“You don’t understand, Williams. You’re out.” Anderson said quietly.

Of course, Ashley knew that this was coming. They figured it out on the way here with Garrus. She just wanted to buy some time and see how they stood. The turian Spectre however was an unkown variable. She shot a glance at Nihlus.  
“But sir, I—”

“You are burned, Williams, and we are shutting this operation down until we complete a thorough investigation. You’re off the case, pending investigation. Somebody will take over once details are available. And I want you full report ASAP.”  
“Sir, nobody is more familiar with Shepard’s case than me. If you take me off, you’re letting him win!”

“Well, he won this round.”  
“So you give him what he wants—”  
“—And we lost two agents and a freight ship in this operation. You have been compromised in more way than one... Is that true, by the way? That Agent Lawson is—”  
Ashley sighed, closing her eyes. “Yes, sir.”  
“Well then, that settles it. You’re benched.” Anderson said.  
“Sir, I can assure you, that my judgement was in no way impaired by the personal—”  
“Ashley.” Anderson said simply. He didn’t need to raise his voice.

Ashley pressed her lips thin. She took a big breath and nodded. Considering the situation, Anderson didn’t chew her out as bad as he could have. He remained quiet. As a soldier, he understood, but here, it was also procedures. And politics. They could go circles around this, but they were right. She was too involved.  
“I understand, sir. You will have my full report.” She shot a glance at the turian, then looked at Anderson.

The general took a deep breath, and with a tone that suggested that it didn’t really matter any more, he motioned towards Nihlus.  
“Lieutenant Commander, this is Spectre Nihlus. He came to observe the operation.”  
Ashley closed her eyes and groaned quietly and whispered “FUBAR.”  
“What was that, commander?” Anderson warned.  
“Nothing, sir.” Ashley pulled herself together. She looked at the turian. “Why would a Council agent take interest in an Alliance operation in the Terminus System?”  
Nihlus shot a glance at Garrus, before turning his head towards Ashley.  
“I have no wish to get involved in Alliance operations, Lt. Commander. I was more interested in the individual performances,” he paused. “But given the circumstances, this may have been a bit premature.”

Ashley’s eyes widened. She looked at Anderson, and back at Nihlus. And then her complete failure dawned on her. This must be the Williams curse, she thought. She was screwed for life.


	2. Property of the Pirate of Terminus

Miranda woke with a small jolt when she felt pressure between her legs. Something was poking against her swollen folds, trying to wiggle inside. She was shivering. It was dark and she was sore and cold, and finally she was able to drift off into a dreamless sleep, and then–  
She let out a small gasp as she felt the push against her muscles. A hand was grabbing her ass and pulling her cheek away for easier access, the other hand just slid around her mouth to cover her whimper.

She was lying on her side, curled into a ball on the bed between Shepard and Liara, hands still cuffed behind her back, exhausted from their ravaging that went on seemingly for hours before everyone was too tired to move and fell asleep. She pressed her eyes shut, whimpering into Shepard’s mouth as his cock slid deeper into her sensitive flesh. Liara was sleeping like a baby, naked and turned away from them, resting peacefully.

Shepard however was apparently not as tired, and must have decided it’s a good idea to wake up in the middle of the sleeping cycle to steal a little private time with their newest acquisition. Miranda felt the skin warm on her hips and ass, while the rest of her was cold. He must have been fondling her in her sleep and working up another hard-on. He would have probably fucked her even if she didn’t wake up.

Now that she was awake and groggy, he seemed to enjoy it even more, that he needed to clasp his hand on her mouth so her little whining didn’t wake Liara up. Miranda tensed, not daring to move. Curled up she was easy access, and Shepard spooning her was almost unnoticeable. It was as if Shepard wanted to fuck her behind Liara’s back, take his selfish pleasure without his lover knowing about it. 

Was this it? Was he cheating on Liara? She felt sick. His cock was warm and hard as it moved inside her slowly and smoothly, up deep between slippery, strained walls, but it was an uncomfortable pressure. She was so sore... she wanted to sleep. Tears sprung into her eyes. What was he trying to do?

“God, this feels fucking good,” he whispered into her ear, moving slowly, cock getting harder inside her, increasing the pressure. “I wanted to do this since the Academy.” _But you didn’t_ , Miranda thought. “I wanted to fuck you so bad.” _I knew and I didn’t care._  
His other hand was groping her ass generously. “I bet you haven’t had a cock in you for years, huh? That’s why you’re so tight.” She was disgusted. She was breathing faster into his hand, warming his palm up, trying to remain calm and not break down.

After the call they made to Ashley, it just got worse. Miranda was trying to pull it together so Ashley wouldn’t see how shaken she was. It probably didn’t work and her heart broke when she saw the shock on her face. She couldn’t look. Then the asari dragged her back and started to grope her while Shepard was still talking on the comm. She was like a spoiled five-year-old who got a kitten for her birthday, that would be dead in a couple of days from the smothering. Miranda managed to keep it together until Shepard was finished, and started crying out and begging her to leave her alone after that.

Liara was biting, pinching, squeezing, making her breasts sore, her nipple throb with pain. She wanted to play with her pet and got frustrated when Miranda was whining in pain. She slapped her on the face a couple of times until Shepard calmed her down with a few simple words. Then the asari dragged her on the bed again, threw her down on her back and dove between Miranda’s legs and started to eat her out with fierce determination. She was infatuated with the mere sight of human pussy.

Miranda however was still sensitive from Shepard’s earlier fucking and still shaken up by the whole experience, so it hardly did anything for her. Meanwhile Shepard watched mesmerized as Liara peeled off her clothes and kneeled between her pale legs and got down to licking and smacking and moaning, tight blue ass up in the air. He stood at the foot of the bed, dropped his pants and grabbing the asari’s firm, round ass he slipped into her sex with one fluid motion. Liara gasped and giggled, biting down on Miranda’s labia from all the excitement, making her cry out in shock.

Then the moaning started. Shepard watched Liara’s tight, rocking body, occasionally lifting his gaze to Miranda’s breasts, swaying gently from the forwarded motion. As they worked themselves up into a thorough fucking, she realized that Liara was no longer between her legs, but kneeling on hands and knees above her torso, and both of them were looking at her while fucking. She shivered, unable to tear her gaze away from them. Shepard’s piercing gaze was sending her a message, a message of dark lust. Liara on the other hand, her darting gaze could not stand still for a second, but she was sizing her up. As the impending orgasm slowly started to cloud her gaze, her eager eyes promised pain. They were only warming up.

And now, a couple of hours later, in the middle of the night, feeling sticky with sweat and other fluids, she was still used as a quick release of midnight wood for Shepard. She gasped into his hand, her soreness returning into her lap, trying to shuffle into a more comfortable position, lifting one knee up to part her thighs so his cock slipped in and out easier. Her arms hurt, she was groggy, wanted to sleep, wanted this to be over with.  
“This is nice, pet, huhh, so tight,” Shepard whispered into her ear. “I am starting to see what Ashley saw in you.” Miranda winced. He had to twist the knife in the wound. Make her more miserable.

Shepard’s strokes became long and firm, hips moving smoothly back and forth, burying his cock deep with every thrust, hard, but slow. He was getting there, and Miranda was breathing harder into his hand as the pressure increased. The whole bed was slightly moving, almost enough to wake Liara up. To avoid this, Shepard sunk his cocks balls deep and jerked a couple of times, biting into Miranda’s shoulder and growlin into her skin and came with a long shudder. Thank god it was over.

As soon as he stopped, she drifted off into an exhausted sleep, not even caring if he pulled out or not.

* * *

Morning held more surprises. Miranda woke up to the constant ache of her shoulders, arms still cuffed behind her back. She was cold, felt sore between her legs, but it was dull, fading away. The dampening field of her collar made the back of her head throb gently. She saw Liara stretching her arms and legs next to her, blanket slipping off her blue breasts as she yawned. Shepard was already up, putting on his pants, watching them.

The asari purred, breathing a “Hi” at him.  
“Gotta go, doll,” Shepard said putting a shirt on. “Remember what I told you about playing with her” he pointed at Miranda, like a father telling his daughter to play nice. “Take her down to the cargo bay, all right?”  
Liara mewled in response, putting on a good show of snaking her body, hands running along her sides.  
“Meet you on the bridge,” he winked at Liara, giving Miranda a meaningful look before leaving. As soon as he was out the door, Liara jumped her.

She shoved her on her back, planting a wet kiss on her lips, rubbing their breasts together, moaning loud, forcing her tongue into Miranda’s mouth. Before Miranda could react and give up resistance though, Liara was already straddling her, rubbing her inner thighs on her breasts. She grabbed her hair and ground her sex over her skin, her nipples. Miranda barely had time to take a few breaths, and she tried to tell her to stop, but she was cut short.

Liara wiggled up until she could press her azure slit against Miranda’s lips and rub herself over her mouth. It was all too fast, too eager, too aggressive. Liara was not the patient type. After a bit of moaning and grinding, she seemed to realize this was not ideal, and she stopped, looking down at her, pulling away her musky lap, still carrying traces of previous night’s activities on her skin.  
“Ooh, we should take a shower first, don’t you think, hmmm?” she exclaimed, cheerful at the good idea. Miranda nodded desperately.  
“Yes. Yes, please.” she managed to say weakly.  
Liara’s face lit up, flashing the brightest smile on Miranda, and jumped off her.

Miranda ended up under the shower all right, kneeling on the floor and having to lick Liara’s pussy while she washed herself moaning, rubbing her tits , stroking Miranda’s wet hair. This was still preferable to last night, when, after Shepard came fucking Liara, the asari straddled her face and had her lick her dripping pussy clean of their juices. Miranda was gagging, while Liara and Shepard made out over her. The very horny asari massaged his cock hard again and guided it inside Miranda while they kissed and groped and moaned, while he almost absently fucked her.

To Liara’s credit, she did uncuff Miranda and after having her pleasure, she thoroughly washed her down. It was like a love letter, the asari maiden completely smitten with Miranda’s body, gasping and letting out deeply satisfied sighs as she ran her fingers along curves and clefts and dimples. Her eyes were full of lust, and Miranda felt very awkward as she stood under the rushing water and watched the blue hands rub soap into her skin and then wash it down with a wet cloth, planting kisses to every spot she cleaned. 

She couldn’t help but get hot from the treatment. It was creepy and she felt that she is being used as an object, but still, it was just the right amount of gentleness. Miranda averted her gaze a few times from Liara, which the asari found cute, especially when she blushed.

Then it was over, before Miranda could get a little release. Liara didn’t even notice the slight disappointment on her face. True to treating her like a pet, the asari rubbed her dry with a towel even though Miranda tried to do it herself. When Liara scowled, she gave up and stood there, very uncomfortable.

But it was just starting. Liara produced a chain leash and attached it to her collar.  
“Wh-what... why do you need that?” Miranda stammered. She hoped the level of degradation would stop before she was put on a leash. “You don’t need that, Liara...”

Liara just smiled at her, stroking her cheek, giggling. “Ssssh, pet. C’mon.” She started to tug her towards the door. _This is insane_ , Miranda thought, and refused to move. The chain tensed, Liara jerking back with a surprised look. She tugged, but Miranda stood her ground, lips pressed thin.

“I’m not going out there naked,” she hissed. Liara’s expression immediately darkened and Miranda braced herself for some sort of retribution, but after a few seconds the asari relaxed, her attention already shifting. She put a hand to her lips and tilted her head.

“You’re right, pet” she cooed. “We should dress you up pretty!” she added cheerfully. She went through a couple of drawers, tugging Miranda with her around the room. She threw a pair of black, strapped heels to her, and dug up some fishnet garments. Miranda blinked in surprise.

“Are you serious?!”  
Liara frowned. “Come on now, don’t make mommy mad!” She warned, stepping closer with a raised hand.  
“Please... At least some top and a shorts...”  
Liara slapped her across the cheek.  
“Put them on” she hissed. “You’ll get better if you deserve it!” she added snarling.  
Miranda bit her lip, controlling herself before she could retort and proceeded to pull them on with clenched teeth, and a deepening blush.

It was vulgar. Like the lowest prostitute on Omega. Fishnet thigh high stockings, a very short fishnet pants and a top. It covered absolutely nothing, but she felt the material on her skin, so if she didn’t look, she could pretend that it was a dress. With the heels on, she was paraded around the room while Liara surveyed the results. She was pleased.

She caught a glimpse of herself on the glass of the fish tank covering one wall, and she was a bit surprised. Although she did look like an Omega whore, she managed to make it look very hot on her. She didn’t have time to process the view, though, because Liara tugged her towards the door.

“Come, now. Let’s get you a nice little tattoo!” Liara purred, laughing delightedly at Miranda’s shocked expression.

“W-wait, what?” Miranda gasped, trying to slow down as Liara pulled her to the elevator. “Tattoo? Why?”  
“Awww, so cute,” Liara tilted her head and stroke Miranda’s cheek. She didn’t answer the question, just pulled her into the arriving elevator. As Miranda suspected, the controls were keyed to personnel, so she couldn’t operate it. 

“It’s gonna be pretty, you’ll see”, she chattered, running her fingers down her neck to her hip. Miranda wondered if it would make sense to reason with her.  
“Liara, please. It’s not necessary. You have me”, she tried anyway.

Liara smiled, and looked into Miranda’s eyes. Her gaze was warm, eyes bright, and Miranda could see that the asari was not stupid, she just didn’t care about anything. When the elevator stopped and the doors slid open, Miranda shuddered. She didn’t want to be seen like this by anyone. The arriving elevator made everybody in the cargo bay look in their directions. 

Miranda was suddenly very aware of her situation and blushed deep red, trying to hang her head and cover her torso with her hands.  
“Come on, pet, here, here we go,” the asari purred, tugging her along. Fortunately there were only a couple of people in the Cargo bay. They looked up from their work and followed the scene curiously. An asari in hot pants and short leather vest dragging a pale, raven-haired human female on a leash. Some view!

They reached a couple of crates and workbenches near the shuttle, where a massively muscular, tattooed marine was doing pull-ups, shirtless. LIara walked up to him purposefully.  
“Hey-y-y, Veg-ga” she cooed, biting her lower lip as she watched the muscles ripple on the man’s back.

“Hey Liara, what can I— _oye_ ” the marine stammered, when he turned his head towards them. He slowly lowered himself down on the floor and circled his arms to loosen them after the exercise, a thin layer of sweat shining on the skin. “What the hell, Blue...” he looked over Miranda in admiration. Miranda stared back at the man with a straight face, trying to show no signs of embarrassment. “What have you got?”

Liara giggled, pressing herself to Miranda’s side, running a hand up her torso to her face, and brushed her hair back.  
“Shepard got me a pet,” she sighed proudly, shuffling Miranda’s hair, then grabbing a handful. “Yes. Cute, huh?”  
“Definitely, girl”, nodded Vega, licking his lips, staring openly.  
Still looking at Miranda’s face, fingers tracing her features, Liara continued. “Sooo I was thinking we want to get her a tat, you know?” Blue hand started to travel down to her chest, Vega’s gaze following the graceful moves of her fingers. “Like, you know, branding. With the ship’s logo. Rrright-”, her hand slid down between the valley of her breasts, down towards her navel, “-heeeere.” She poked just above the waistline of her panties. Miranda shivered at the final touch, and pressed her lips tight.

Vega tried to blink to stop himself from ogling. He managed, eventually, with a sigh. “I don’t know, Liara. I’m afraid my hands gonna tremble in five seconds if I get my hands on her--”

Miranda shot her an angry glance, but kept her mouth shut. She saw the marine stop for a second and then, recognition. _Oh, great, here we go_ , Miranda thought.  
“Hey, I know you! You- You’re that dyke from the Academy, right? Studied Intelligence, no?” He chuckled excitedly. “Oh, man!”

Liara still held her prize proudly, but at the last comments, she turned towards Vega. Miranda started to blush again.  
“You know her?”  
“Sure, everybody knew her at the Academy!” Vega replied, running his gaze over Miranda with a newfound interest. “All the guys wanted to get her in the sack, but she was not into guys, right?” he asked her.

There was a familiar laugh coming behind Miranda. She turned instantly. “Jacob!” she hissed.  
“Oh, she used to be”, he walked up to her, giving a playful spank to Miranda’s ass. Liara pouted jealously and pulled her away from the man. He walked up to Miranda and looked her over. “You used to enjoy cock, didn’t you?”

Miranda smirked. “Yes, Jacob. But that one date with you turned me around”, she spat back.  
Jacob snarled, and his hand went flying, slapping her on the face so hard, her head snapped to the side.  
“Ooh, walked right into that one, Taylor”, Vega chuckled. 

Liara was on Jacob in an instant, hissing like a cat and clawing for his face.  
“Hey hey! Cut it out!” Vega shouted and pulled Liara off from Jacob. “Tranquilo, chicos!”  
“Do that again, and I will flail you with my mind!” the asari hissed, pulling Miranda to her chest protectively.  
Vega patted Taylor on the shoulder and pulled him away.  
“Take it easy, little dick. Walk it off,” he said, making sure nobody was in any imminent danger.  
“See you later, bitch,” Jacob snarled as he passed Miranda. She shot a hateful glance back at him.

“So” Vega turned his attention back to Liara. “If I do this, what do I get in return?” he tilted his head with a playful grin. “You know, so my hand won’t shake or anything.”  
Liara leaned against Miranda’s cheek and smiled back, letting out a reluctant groan. She was still very protective. Vega spread his hands in a friendly gesture.  
“C’mon, Liara, you gotta give me a little something”, he teased.

Liara’s hand ran up and down Miranda’s back a couple of times, pondering.  
“Mkay”, she mumbled, handing him the leash. “But just a little.”  
“Is she really a dyke, anyway?”  
Miranda rolled her eyes slightly. She tried to ignore the question and not get into a chat about her sexuality. She just stared back a little bit angrier. Liara put her hand on Miranda’s shoulder, and started to push her down firmly onto her knees. She tried to resist, but the asari squeezed her neck, which made her yelp and bend her legs to get away from it, dropping roughly on her knees.  
“Not any more”, Liara said meaningfully.

“That’s my girl”, Vega grinned, wrapping the chain around his fist, reaching for Miranda’s hair with the other. “Come back in an hour or so and you can have her back with the ink still drying.”  
Liara giggled excitedly and reluctantly started backing away. “Behave!” she wiggled a finger at Vega.  
“Don’t worry, cupcakes!” he winked at her.  
Liara poked out her tongue at the marine and slowly backed away to the elevator. Jacob was just getting in, and he held the door for the asari. She shot him a killer glance, then the doors closed.

Vega looked down at the woman in front of her, and pulling her hair he turned her face towards him. Miranda was grimacing from the pain but her eyes were still fierce.  
“Now, _Bianca_ , I can make this quick and easy for you, unless you give me any trouble, got it?” Miranda didn’t answer, but she looked at him in understanding. It wasn’t good enough for Vega, though. He rolled his shoulder to make his muscles flex and gave her head a little shake. He looked really robust and menacing “You won’t give me any trouble, right? Right?”

“No”, Miranda whispered.  
The marine nodded. “Good. Get to work, then.”  
“H-here?”  
Vega looked around. The cargo bay was an open space, and while his section was cozy and there were parts where they could have had some privacy, right now everybody could see them.  
“What’s wrong with it?” he shrugged. “I don’t see any problem.”  
“Please. At least some--”

He shook her again.  
“Get to work, chica.”  
Miranda hissed in pain and reluctantly lifted her hands to his pants and began to tug it down, along with his shorts. His cock spilled out, the musky odor from his workout reaching her nose, making her more anxious. She reached for his half-erect meat tentatively with one hand and wrapped her fingers around it. She felt him getting thicker already, before she even started to rub it off.  
Vega moaned in pleasure, and Miranda blushed. The sound carried easily in the hangar and she could almost feel other gazes on them. Even though they were far enough to only suspect what was happening, it was still evident.

When his cock was hard enough, she held him at the base, opened her mouth, sticking her tongue out and trying not to grimace too much she took him in her mouth, making him moan out louder. She felt very awkward, a bit sick, feeling her face burning. She closed her eyes as she felt his hand on her hair pulling her head forward, already starting to pump his dick slowly in and out.  
“What are you looking at?!” he shouted across the hangar bay, making Miranda shudder. “Get back to your fucking business!” he snarled, waving his hand at the other crewmembers.

Vega made quick work on her, losing his calm pretty fast. The view of the raven-haired beauty was just too hot for him to handle. He grabbed her head with both hands and attacked her mouth by roughly shoving his cock in. 

Miranda was trying to hold on desperately, gripping his cock with one hand and trying to push away with pressing her other hand against his hip. She was quickly losing air and choking, tears running from her eyes. She felt the hot cock fill her mouth, his taste salty, skin smooth and slick with her saliva. She felt dizzy from the intense movement.

She knew when he was ready because he started to tremble and put one hand under her chin to grab her jaw for the final few moves. She gagged, drool dripping out, then he held her down with a loud, long moan which made her blush with shame, and then she felt hotness spreading as he started to unload into her.

“Huhh, swallow, bitch... huhhh” growled the marine, and she tried. He held her down until he was finished with a last jerk, before releasing her head and letting her pull out. She gagged and gasped for air.  
“Don’t drip it on the floor or you’ll lick it up”, he warned.  
Miranda croaked, dropping down on her heels, trying to regain her composure. It was not easy, her face was wet with tears, and she felt exhausted from the intense ravaging.

Vega tugged at her chain and helped her stand up, checking to see if she was all right, eyes glinting.  
“You are really not very good at this,” he remarked grinning, strangely enough without any mockery in his voice. Holding her cheeks in his palms, he nodded. “Pull my pants up.”  
Miranda reached down and fumbled with his pants, catching her breath.

The marine let her head go and took her shoulders, gently guiding her to the workbench.  
“Lay back”, he said quietly.  
She did so, and lay there motionless, until Vega got the tattoo pen and the inks and set everything up neatly. He threw a towel on her lap, “to avoid distraction”, he said, then his t-shirt on her breasts “because those were too much in his field of vision.”

He narrated his moves to stop her from jumping or shivering and ruin the tattoo. She felt her panties waistline pulled down a little and he set to work on her skin. It felt odd. Even with the modern equipment she felt the pricks and the heat, but it was not her main source of discomfort. She knew she was genetically perfect, a gift and a curse from her father, and she quite got used to actually having perfect skin and body. This tattoo would not only ruin her spotless, firm, flat belly, but she couldn’t help thinking what Ashley would think if she saw this.

She closed her eyes in despair at the thought. It was the first time since her capture that she had time to think about the implications, and it was almost too much. Her mind couldn’t really grasp it yet, locking out thoughts about Ashley and her fate. Tears sprung into her eyes.

It also didn’t help that Vega was constantly chatting, telling her how they all drooled over the hot sophomore dyke at the freshman quarters, and how many imagined getting at least a blowjob from her. Then he went on about just starting his N7 training when Shepard recruited him to help nick the Normandy and go rogue. Of course she knew this all from the file they had on Shepard’s crew, but at least she got an insight into how it happened from their point of view.

Not that it did her any good, and it probably won’t matter now that she was a prisoner on board the ship, marked with the same insignia that mocked the Alliance logo. She became property, something that belonged to the ship just like the equipment. And it was just her second day.


	3. The Politics of the Hunt

Nihlus was quiet during the debriefing, standing at the window of Anderson’s office, while the humans went through the details of the failed operation. Garrus was there, too, lounging on the couch as always, also quiet, and Ashley had trouble dismissing the thought from her head that the two laconic turians were somehow related. She would have chuckled and teased Garrus with it, had it not been for the loss of Miranda and Jacob’s betrayal.

Anderson was not making it easy for her, constantly returning to the question: How did she miss Jacob Taylor’s loyalty, and who was responsible for the easy capture of agent Lawson. The issue of personal involvement also came up a couple of times especially about Ashley letting Miranda lead the operation. The conclusion remained the same: Ashley will be reassigned until the investigation is closed.

It took only half an hour, but it felt like five. When they went quiet, usually a time for contemplation and a little personal talk, Nihlus turned from the window and walked up to them.  
“I believe my visit here has come to an early end, general Anderson. I will return to the Citadel and make my report. I will keep you informed.” He waited until Anderson stood up.  
“I would prefer if you could stay as scheduled and take time for the evaluation,” Anderson said politely.  
“There’s nothing more to evaluate, is there?”

Ashley felt blood rushing into her face and pressed her lips thin to stop herself from snapping back at the turian. That would only make her situation worse.  
“Of course,” Anderson conceded and started walking to the door, but Nihlus lifted a hand again.  
“I would like to have a few words with Lt. Commander Williams. On my way to the shuttle.”  
Ashley frowned, looking back and forth between the turian and the general, baffled.  
“Lt. Commander, walk with me, please.”  
Anderson nodded in encouragement to the confused Ashley and let them get out first. Garrus was right behind them.

Nihlus shot a glance at the other turian, but made no motion to dismiss him as he started talking.  
“It seems odd to see a fellow turian in an Alliance operation, commander,” Nihlus remarked.  
Ashley shot a glance back at Garrus, walking a few steps behind them with Anderson, but he didn’t bat a mandible at the Spectre’s words.  
“Garrus is not the only alien collaborating with us in military operations, spectre,” she replied defensively. “And it’s not just a diplomatic gesture, as I am sure you’re aware.”

Maybe not the best choice of words, but the turian seemed unfazed at her response.  
“Indeed. Especially commendable from the granddaughter of the general who fought in the Relay 314 incident.”  
Here we go, Ashley thought, letting out an exasperated sigh.  
“I’m happy that you are familiar with my background, spectre. You can gloat over the fact of yet another Williams failure, but I don’t see what’s the point. Obviously I didn’t pass whatever test the Council sent you here to perform—”

“The Council didn’t send me here. I came to evaluate potential candidates for a Spectre status, commander. It’s a shame it has been a waste of time.”  
Ashley stopped for a second to process the news. Nihlus looked her over and continued walking.  
“Great,” she muttered and caught up with the turian. She opened her mouth to speak but the turian continued.

“So what is the nature of your relationship with agent Lawson?”  
Ashley was caught completely off-guard with the sudden change of subject, even more awkward than the one before.  
“It’s none— It’s strictly— It’s private” she stammered, digging herself deeper. She cleared her throat, pulling herself together as she tried to keep pace with the turian. “It did not affect my judgement in placing her in command of the operation—”  
“I certainly hope so. As I understand, humans are prone to making emotional decisions if their mate is involved.”

“It is nothing like that!” Ashley exclaimed, her anger rising. Her voice was still controlled, but her patience was running out. There was only so much humiliation she could take right now. “Miranda— Agent Lawson volunteered. She planned the operation. In fact, I refused to let her lead the team—”  
“And yet she did.”  
“—She convinced me she was the best person for the job. Which was true. Otherwise it would have been Taylor.”  
“Yes, Taylor. Still, the result is the same.”

Ashley took a deep breath and jumped in front of the turian to make him stop in his tracks.  
“Are you finished rubbing my face in my failure, Spectre? I take full responsibility for the operation and you can’t make it worse for me. I already lost more than just my men, so let’s change the subject, shall we?”

“Lt. Commander!” Anderson warned her, stopping behind Nihlus. “Enough.”  
Nihlus looked patiently at her. As far as she could tell, based on the time she spent in the company of Garrus, the turian was not gloating, and not trying to mock her. Then again, Garrus was not the talkative type. She stepped aside, letting Nihlus continue.  
“Very well,” the turian said. “So what made you bring an ex C-Sec officer into your team?”  
Ashley blinked, shaking her head in confusion, trying to follow the spectre’s train of thought. They walked on, and Nihlus was waiting patiently until she found her voice.

“Uh— We met on Elysium. He saved my life.”  
“Ah, the incident you refer to as ‘The Skyllian Blitz’, yes. You are being modest. I read your file. Received the Star of Terra. Protecting civilians and organizing a resistance. Impressive achievement.”  
Ashley was completely lost. At one moment she is being humiliated for her choices, the next she is being genuinely complimented. “Uh, thank you, I guess.”

“More elegant, than the Torfan incident two years later,” Nihlus continued. “I understand Shepard spearheaded that operation. Almost like he had a personal agenda against the batarians.”  
Ashley blinked.  
“You are not suggesting that he was taking revenge because I was—”  
“Don’t be ridiculous, commander. Of course not,” Nihlus said, but Ashley had trouble believing his sincerity.  
“Great, because for a moment, I thought you’re gonna take the next step and make a connection between his defection and me breaking up with him.”

Nihlus let out a soft chuckle.  
“Did he?” the turian asked when they reached the docks.  
Ashley was struggling to form an articulate response that did not involve expletives. She gave up, and closed her mouth, shaking her head.

Nihlus stopped at the gate, turning towards Ashley.  
“Thank you, commander, that will be all. I will return to the Citadel and file my report. Good luck on your future assignments. Maybe we will have a chance to re-evaluate your performance at a later time.”  
He nodded, dismissing her. Ashley put on a solemn face with great effort and managed to salute without looking too pissed off.  
“Have a safe journey, spectre.”

Anderson also gave a salute and motioned for Ashley to walk away, while Nihlus waited. Garrus stayed with his fellow turian and the two of them started talking quietly. Out of earshot, Anderson stopped and turned back, motioning Ashley to wait with him.  
“What just happened?” Ashley blurted out, but Anderson lifted a hand, signaling her to wait.

Garrus and Nihlus spoke for a few minutes, then they parted ways and as the spectre walked through the gate to his ship, the former C-Sec officer caught up with them. They stood there, watching the shuttle prepare to leave.

“What did he want?” Ashley asked.  
“Nothing,” Garrus shrugged. “He asked about C-Sec. And Elysium. Nothing that’s not in the files.”  
Ashley sighed. It didn’t make sense to her and she felt lost and felt like losing her mind.  
“General, I know the protocol, but you can’t possibly expect me to stay away from the—” Ashley was desperate. With so much going on, she just started to feel the first signs of exhaustion and anxiety creeping up on her, threatening to overwhelm her.  
“I know, Lt. Commander. We won’t close this operation down. We can’t afford it. And you’re our expert on Shepard.”

Ashley stared at Anderson, then shot a confused glance at Garrus, who just shrugged again.  
“But you said— I mean, what was this all about, then?”  
Anderson watched as the shuttle started to fire up its engines and prepared to take off.  
“It was diplomacy, Williams. We danced around each other politely and now everybody is going to do the opposite.”  
Ashley shook her head, trying to decode what this meant. Garrus chuckled softly.  
“So I don’t back down, you’re not taking me off the operation and Nihlus knew this and is okay with it?”

“Of course I’m taking you off the operation. Officially. You’ve been compromised. Shepard may still have sources inside the Alliance. He will know if you keep going after him. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do it. We will just find another way. Probably a covert operation.”  
Ashley nodded. She was determined not to let Miranda down and she would get her back no matter what. She was actually thinking about taking Garrus with her and go after Shepard alone. Still, there were questions.  
“What about Nihlus?”  
“He’s not Alliance. The Council doesn’t care about this case either. He will pretend he doesn’t care about what happens next, but he will most probably keep an eye on what are you going to do about this.”

“Why would he do that?” Ashley asked.  
“Because he’s a Spectre,” Garrus replied. “ He joined the Spectres for the same reasons I quit C-Sec. To get things done.” Ashley turned towards Garrus in surprise. The turian chuckled. “And he has some of your attitude towards authority. But unlike Saren, he doesn’t hate humans and has more common sense. Less ruthless, too.”  
Ashley turned towards Anderson, who was nodding as Garrus spoke. Turning his gaze at the departing shuttle, he allowed himself an encouraging smile.

“Nihlus has an agenda. He wants to see a human spectre. And I intend to give him one, Lt. Commander Williams.” He looked at Ashley and put a hand on her shoulder.  
Ashley shuddered at the touch. She should have been grateful for the gesture, but the closeness and the human touch only made her more aware of Miranda’s predicament. When she saw her on the screen— Eyes red, probably from crying, shaken up, naked. God, what was she going through?!  
She suddenly felt very tired.  
“Go home, commander. Get some rest. We’ll meet in my office tomorrow and figure something out.”

Ashley nodded, not looking at Anderson. She stared out after the shrinking silhouette of the shuttle, but she was looking for the Normandy. Somewhere out there— She nodded again, blinked a couple of times and saluted Anderson. She turned and started walk away. Garrus moved, too, but Anderson put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head.

Ashley walked briskly, going faster and faster until she almost ran. She felt panic creeping up on her, a building pressure in her chest, her vision narrowing and the air getting thinner. She was gasping for air by the time she reached the apartment she shared with Miranda, and barely made it inside. She started to tear off her clothes on her way to the shower, finishing undressing under the running cold water. 

Finally she let go, and allowed panic and desperation to take over.

* * * * *

Vega was quick and proficient with the tattoo. It was embarrassing enough to be lying on a table like a piece of work and Miranda had to press her lips together pretty hard to control her emotions. She covered her breasts with her hands at least, while Vega “accidentally” groped her sex while he worked, poking between her folds through the holes of the fishnet panties. She tried not to twitch, but it didn’t always work. Vega talked a lot, but at least time passed faster. She only answered if it was absolutely necessary, even then, only in short sentences.

Her abdomen was getting hot and all the little pricks melded into a constant, sharp poking sensation as the tattoo took shape. She closed her eyes, a few teardrops escaping. It felt like getting branded. Like cattle. Not to mention the ink ruining her spotless skin.

“Done. Stand up, _Blanca_.” Vega patted her thigh. “I think it turned out pretty good. Check it out.”  
She sat up, her skin feeling sensitive, but she didn’t look. She shot a cold gaze at the marine and said nothing. Vega shrugged. “Suit yourself, princess.”

He sent a message to Liara on the comm and the asari came running in a few minutes, excited like a schoolgirl. Until then it was an awkward silence, Vega leering at her, complimenting her “assets,” Miranda trying to ignore him, folding her arms in front of her chest.

Liara slowed down at the workbench, eyes wide in wonderment, looking at the logo on her tight, flat belly, letting out a small sigh. She reached for it.  
“Can I—?” she asked Vega almost reverently. The marine laughed and nodded.  
“Careful, it’s still sensitive.”  
Liara giggled and ran her petite blue fingers along the ink, the skin blushed red around it. Miranda shivered, looking away in disgust as she was examined.  
“Pret-ty.”  
“So what, now she’s like the ship’s bitch?”  
Liara scowled, looking sternly at Vega and wrapping the chain leash around her hand protectively.  
“She’s mine,” the asari said. “Mine to play with.” She added in a cheerful tone and she started to drag Miranda with her, wiggling her fingers at Vega. “Thanks, Vega. Bye-e!”

“Where are we going, Liara?” Miranda asked as she stumbled after her in her heels, trying to retain some resemblance of dignity.  
“Grab a bite. Show you around.” Liara chattered. They took the stairs, passing by some of the crew members, who greeted Liara and stared at Miranda, making comments and lewd remarks. One even dared to cup a feel of her breast. Miranda slapped the hand away and glared at the guy, who backed off by reflex from her authoritative glare. Liara scowled at that and tugged Miranda away. She couldn’t tell if the asari was mad at her or at the crewman. There were a few off-duty men lingering in the mess hall, too, who looked up curiously as they entered, Liara prancing her around proudly, walking her in a circle around the table, saying hi to the guys.

Miranda started to blush, more from the frustration of it all, that she was powerless to do anything about the whole ordeal. She won’t try to cover herself and shrink away like a shy little mouse, that would just make them enjoy her humiliation even more. But if she was too nonchalant, it would make her look like she loved this. So she was doing what she did best, glare at them with a stern face, hoping it would protect her a little. It didn’t, but there was nothing she could do. Even if she managed to overpower Liara and hold her hostage, there was nowhere to go. And she didn’t know, what else the collar could do to her apart from dampening her biotics, making a tiny little buzz in the back of her head that was just enough to bother her, like a constant ringing in her ear.

Liara made small talk with the crew, being very pleasant with them, while she was petting Miranda, fiddling with her hair, stroking her midriff, carefully avoiding the tattoo. The crew made remarks about her, most popular being her ass, and then her breasts, complimenting on her tattoo as well. Liara was beaming with pride, grabbing Miranda’s ass greedily once or twice, making her wince.

“So, Liara, when can we play with her?” teased one of the crewmen, licking his lips lewdly, sipping his drink.

Liara grimaced, pulling Miranda away. “Mine!” she mewled. The men chuckled around the table.  
“Well, you know, if you change your mind--”  
“She looks hungry. Did you feed her?” The other crewman asked.  
Liara spun around to look at Miranda, eyes going wide again.  
“Totally forgot!” she sighed, biting her lower lip as she was pondering. After a few seconds, she started smiling and gave sharp tugs to the leash. “Sit!” she purred, yanking Miranda down, forcing her to kneel on the floor. Miranda dropped on her knees with a painful groan, breasts bouncing to the amusement of the crewmen. She stared angrily up at her. Liara tilted her head in disapproval at her glare and slapped her on the cheek, making Miranda’s head snap to the side, the approving murmurs of the crewmen indicating that the movement made her breasts jingle again. “Bad kitty!”

“You gonna train her, Liara?” asked one of the men.  
Liara let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes and looking at the crewman over her shoulder.  
“Of course, stupid!” she tugged at the chain. “You will see, in a few weeks, she will be a nice little kitty.” She tussled Miranda’s hair. “She’s so cute, I could just eat her up right here!” she cooed, grabbing a fistful of hair to lift her face. “Are you hungry, pet?”

Miranda glared at her, and wanted to tell her to screw herself, but the truth was, she WAS hungry, but mostly, she just wanted to drink, just to wash Vega’s taste off her lips. It has been more than an hour since he used her mouth and the taste was making her queasy.

“I— I’m thirsty.” Miranda conceded. A small defeat, just to get what she wanted.  
Liara beamed. She spun to the table and picked up one of the mugs in front of one crewman. He opened his mouth to protest, but gave up with a sigh. Liara turned towards Miranda, who reached for the mug.  
Liara frowned and pulled the mug away. “Nu-huh!” she shook her head. “Hands behind your back, kitten! Open your mouth!”

Miranda frowned, pressing her lips together again to stop herself from complaining. This was not exactly what she was hoping. She glared at Liara in frustration, who stared back with a friendly smile, but her eyes were flashing darkly. After a few more seconds, Miranda slowly obeyed, opening her mouth a little.

The crewmen watched eagerly, and Liara smiled proudly as she lowered the mug to Miranda’s lips, tilting it slowly. Warm, milky coffee trickled into Miranda’s mouth, who tried to hide her relief and started to drink. Liara didn’t stop, and the coffee started to trickle down from the corner of her mouth, along her neck towards her chest. The crewmen gulped audibly, following the creamy drops trickle down her skin. This was quickly getting worse, she thought. At least she could wash the bad taste from her mouth.

“Thank you, Jenkins,” Liara purred, putting the mug back in front of the crewman, yanking on Miranda’s chain. “You too, pet.” She nodded towards the man.  
Miranda licked her lips to get the last drops of the coffee, and then reluctantly, she turned towards the crewman. “Thank you.” She said quietly.

“Don’t mention it, kitten,” Jenkins grinned and reached out with a finger to wipe off the wet trail of the coffee from her chest. Miranda jerked away, making Jenklins chuckle and Liara snarl. The asari tugged at the leash and dragged her on her feet. 

Miranda grimaced painfully as she tried to stand up, but it wasn’t too graceful. She was starting to wonder if maybe she should be doing something, fighting back or mouthing off. It was hard to tell, the buzzing of the collar was a constant source of discomfort. In any case, she was smart enough to know that fighting back was not productive at this point. She had too little information. 

Feigning obedience was not an option either. She couldn’t play it convincingly, Shepard would see through her anyway. She had to wait and see. These thoughts ran through her mind while they walked up another set of stairs, onto the command deck. She was immediately focused again, when she realized that this was the busiest place on the ship. Shepard was standing on the bridge, in front of a holomap, a redhead assistant at his side, and various people sitting and standing at consoles and monitors.

Liara cooed a hello as they entered and Shepard looked up from the console with a smile, that turned into a frown. The redhead standing next to him stared in surprise at Miranda, before she managed to control herself. She turned back to her terminal quickly.  
“Liara, doll! You shouldn’t bring her up here!” Shepard chided the asari maiden as he stepped off the bridge, meeting them halfway. Miranda folded her arms in front of her torso. “You will distract the guys, prancing her around like that,” Shepard said quietly, nodding at the people. He looked at Miranda with curious eyes.

Miranda tried to look back with a confident, angry stare, but the attention she was getting made her blush deeply and shuffle nervously.  
“I know, baby! I just wanted to show you the tattoo,” Liara purred, stroking Shepard’s shoulder with her fingertips. She tried to sound apologetic, but was not convincing. “Vega did the tat. She’s sooo pretty now, look!” she grabbed Miranda’s shoulders and stood behind her, pressing herself to her back. Miranda staggered, while Shepard took a step back to take in the sight. Liara’s hands ran down from her shoulders to her arms, firmly pulling them away from her torso and holding them next to her side.

Shepard’s gaze lingered over Miranda’s body, his lips twitching into an amused smile. His eyes flashed hungry, before locking in on her tattoo. Miranda really started to feel uncomfortable, his gaze was unnerving her. She tried not to shiver.

Shepard took a quick look at the crew from the corner of his eye. Everybody was openly staring at the view. He stepped closer and pressed his palm gently on the tattoo, feeling the warmth of her skin, her firm, flat midriff. He also felt her slight trembling. He looked up into her eyes, locking his gaze with her.  
“Just lovely,” he said in a low voice. Miranda felt her mouth getting dry. “It may seem odd, but it fits you, Miranda. It just highlights perfection. Puts a symbol on it. You’ll get to like it.” He was staring into her eyes the whole time, his voice quiet, confident. Liara felt the effect, too, she shivered with pleasure, rubbing her body against Miranda’s back. She purred at Shepard.

He shot a gaze at the asari maiden and pulled his palm away from Miranda’s abdomen. She just realized that she was holding her breath back. The memory of his touch was warm on her skin. She wanted to say something, something snappy, defying him, but she couldn’t trust her voice. Anything she could have said, would make her look weaker, make him laugh at her. She didn’t want to give him any more satisfaction. 

The collar, the leash, the tattoo... The way Liara behaved, it all meant he would want to break her. Get into her head. Make her his pet. Miranda clenched her jaw and didn’t reply. He could feel her shivers, but her gaze was steady. Shepard chuckled softly as he stepped back. And Miranda understood: it was only a matter of time, before he will succeed. Eventually she will run out of strength to resist.

Feeling all those eyes on her, Liara’s groping and Shepard’s quiet promise, she took a deep breath and straightened up. She decided they would have to work real hard to get what they want from her.


	4. Life on the High Seas

Liara took her around the CiC under the disapproving look of Shepard, almost as if she dared him to do something about it. She even took Miranda to the cockpit, with a predictable outcome.  
“Oh boy Miranda Lawson I’m such a big fan and on behalf of the whole freshman pilot’s class at the Academy I have to say we all wanked off imagining you naked and giving head man I can’t hardly wait to blow my load over those gorgeous tits...” Joker rambled, seemingly without taking a breath, staring her up and down and openly groping his crotch. It was too low even for Liara, and she finally dragged her back to Shepard’s quarters.

Liara stopped her at the foot of the bed and walked around her. She placed a palm on her flat stomach, stroking her tattoo with a dreamy expression. Miranda was trying to figure out what was she up to, standing quietly, tense and frustrated.

She slowly focused, her gaze traveling up Miranda’s body, hand lazily following. In the end, she was looking into her eyes, and her warm, blue hands were cupping her neck on both sides, just over the collar. Biotics flared, and the collar immediately started to buzz, warming up and sending a numbing sensation along Miranda’s spine, as it was trying to counteract the asari’s biotics. Miranda tried to gasp in surprise, but found she couldn’t make a sound. It wasn’t painful, just unexpected, like an electrical current that made her limbs freeze up. There was also a slight migraine building in the back of her head.

“Fun is over, kitten,” she said in a low, menacing voice, piercing gaze staring into Miranda’s eyes. “Now we’ll start working. Because, frankly, your attitude needs a little... adjustment.”  
The asari started strolling around her as she spoke, her hands never leaving her neck, stroking her skin, energy buzzing around Miranda’s spine. The headache was getting stronger as the asari kept up the biotic field around her neck.

“I did my homework, you know. I’m great at research. I mean, REALLY great.” She stood behind Miranda, slid one hand down her chest and torso to her abdomen, and hugged her to herself, pressing her cheek against her nape. 

“Sssoo, while I would like to have ALL the fun in the WORLD with you naked in bed, I will have to teach you to behave first.” She sighed, sounding almost annoyed, like doing a chore, but her snaking moves spoke about anticipation. “Work first, and then, fun later. That is, if you are a good little pet.” She dug a hand into Miranda’s panties, and her biotic flared up from the excitement as she ran her blue fingers along her thin patch of fur towards her cleft. Miranda groaned, the jolt from the biotic dampener making her knees weak.

“Shepard told me, I can’t use my biotics on you, ‘cause that would be cheating. He said you won’t mean it if you think your mind is tricked. Which is a shame, because I could do CRAZY stuff to you with my biotics.” She sounded very proud. “Kaidan showed me some tricks, you know.”

She started rubbing Miranda’s lap, pushing the panties down, almost absently.  
“So, I’m left with the physical, and that’s a shame, because the rewards I could give to you with my biotics...” she shuddered in pleasure. She started to pull Miranda’s top off. “Ah well. I can still work with that.”

She finally let go of Miranda’s neck, and strolled to a locker in the wall. Miranda staggered, catching her breath, feeling dizzy from the collar’s effect. Her temples started to throb.  
“Undress. Leave the stockings on,” Liara barked as she dug into a drawer. Miranda was still trying to comply when she turned back, holding a leather flail in one hand.

Miranda groaned quietly, trying not to roll her eyes. She couldn’t believe this was happening. Liara caught her expression and looked at the flail with a sigh.  
“Yeah, it’s old school, I know.” She grinned. “But if I can’t use biotics–” she swished it in the air as she stepped up to her, “ –we could at least do this in style.”

“On your knees!” _snap!_ The flail struck her back, making Miranda hiss and cringe, pulling away. It was sharp, but the stinging sensation lasted longer, which was even more uncomfortable. She tried not to cry out _snap!_ “Now!” She dropped to her knees, furrowing her brow, trying to will the pain away. “Hands behind your head!” _snap!_ “Tits out!” _snap!_

Liara emphasized every command with a strike, regardless of how fast or good Miranda tried to comply. She could feel the skin on her back heating up from all the strikes, but as Liara helpfully explained, it won’t leave welts or lasting marks. But it stung like hell, all over her skin.

“Kneel up!” _snap!_ “Hands down!” _snap!_ “Behind your back!” _snap!_   
The orders came in rapid succession, putting Miranda through more and more humiliating poses. She was not giving in easy, though, testing the asari’s patience as well as her own limits, trying to guess how long can she take it. She pressed her lips thin and there was a constant frown on her face.

“Hands and knees!” _snap!_ “Down on elbows!” _snap!_ “Ass up!”   
She started flinching when the strikes showered on her ass, the stinging and the heat from her skin making it harder to stay in one pose for more than a second. She wanted to squirm, but squirms were also punished.

“Knees apart!” _snap!_ “Hands forward! _snap!_ “Tits to the floor!” The asari’s voice managed to remain pleasant and musical even as she was barking orders. There was no malice -yet- in her words. She was just testing her. Miranda started to clench her jaw and bare her teeth when the strikes started to hit the back of her thighs. She wouldn’t have though that it could hurt that much, there. Sometimes, the leather straps licked across he folds when they were exposed enough, and that made her whimper. 

“On your belly!” _snap!_ “Spread those legs!” _snap!_ Liara’s voice was getting heavier. She was working herself up, letting out small gasps of arousal when she struck down. Miranda felt her skin burning all over her back and her ass. She imagined they were getting redder, and felt more sensitive. “On your back!” _snap!_

She dreaded this part. She didn’t want to expose her chest and lap to her beating, tried to avoid it as long as possible. She got a couple of hard strokes on her ass, making her jolt. “On your back!” _snap!_

She reluctantly turned, and realized it was even worse with the whipped skin now pressing into the floor. She felt it colder, but it did not help.  
“Knees Up!” _snap!_ Liara was attacking her belly with the flail. She flinched, trying to stay quiet. “Spread them!” _snap!_ “Grab your ankles!” _snap!_

Oh no, she knew what was coming. She hesitated, getting an other strike on her thighs, letting out a small whimper, reaching to grab her ankles. _Here we go..._  
“Push your pussy up!” _snap!_ Miranda jerked and pushed her hip in the air, arching her body up. Her curves tightened up, making her limbs leaner, her waist thinner, breasts rolling into more perfect globes. Even Liara stopped to admire the view, catching her breath, all hot and bothered from the workout. She was already topless, her eyes roaming Miranda’s body.

“And now for being a bitch today,” Liara smirked, biting her lower lip. “It was hot, though. But wrong.” she purred.   
Miranda felt her heart starting to beat faster, fear creeping up her spine. “Don’t—” she whispered, looking at the asari.  
“Stay put.” And then _snap!_ Right between her legs, the many little straps of leather showering her smooth mound and inner thighs. It felt like a bite as she screamed, collapsing and balling up on her side as she tried to choke down her sobs.

Liara looked down, rolling Miranda on her back with her foot and watched her, head tilted, eyes staring hungrily between her smooth thighs, her pale mound and thin strap of pubic hair, the tattoo above it, her skin pink from the lashes.

“Poor kitten. I haven’t even started.” Liara purred, smacking her lips, looking at her face.  
Miranda turned her head towards her, frowning, trying not to show the hatred in her eyes. “You have no idea,” the asari replied with a soft voice to a question she thought those eyes asked. 

Miranda didn’t reply, just pressed her lips together and stared at Liara, slightly shivering. She was biting back the insults she wanted to hurl at the asari. Liara held her gaze for long seconds, before flashing her a warm smile. She stood up.  
“Kneel up. Knees apart. Hands behind your back.” This time there were no lashes and Miranda clumsily obeyed, shooting her a dark glance, trying to regain her composure.

Liara didn’t wait until Miranda was ready, and lashed across her breasts eagerly, making her flesh quiver. She cried out again and crouched forward clasping her hand across her chest. Liara was not pleased, shaking his head. She poked her with the tip of the flail.  
“Back up! Hands!” she ordered until she was kneeling again, hands behind her back. “We will do this until you can keep still.”

It took them five more tries to get it right. By that time, her breasts and abdomen was dark pink, patterned with faint criss-crossing lines from the lashes, and Miranda knelt shivering from the pain, eyes shut tightly, exhausted. Liara let out a satisfied sigh and stood in front of her, lifting her chin with the tip of the flail.  
“We’re done with the lesson for today, pet. Now get me out of these pants,” she said in a friendlier tone. Miranda complied reluctantly, tugging her shorts and panties down clumsily. Liara was in a forgiving mood, stroking her hair as she stepped out of the garments and stood naked in front of her face.

“Would you like to lick some pussy now?” Liara asked, forcing her face up to look into her eyes. When Miranda was still not eager to reply, the asari gave her chin a nudge with the tip of the flail and let out a playful growl.  
“Y-yes” Miranda whispered.  
“Loud and clear, kitten!” Liara warned her.  
“Yes-” Miranda swallowed. “I want to lick some pussy.”

When Shepard walked in some time later, he saw Miranda kneeling at the foot of the bed, her shoulders on the mattress, body arched back and Liara straddling her head, grinding her hip. The sight was gorgeous: the firm, blue globes of Liara’s tight ass rocking over Miranda’s bouncing breasts, her body taut, fading pink marks of the flailings drawing patterns on her pale skin, knees spread, the tattoo prominent on her flawless body.

The asari maiden was moaning excitedly, working herself up into ecstasy, oblivious to the discomfort she was causing to Miranda. Shepard grinned and walked up to the view, standing over Miranda and reaching around to grope Liara’s breast.  
“I see you’re having fun, doll!”  
“Goddess, yes!” The asari breathed, reaching back with one blue hand and snaking it around Shepard’s neck. “Come, join us!”

Miranda gasped for air as the pressure disappeared from her shoulder, Liara turning around on the bed. Before she could orient herself and focus at what was happening, she felt a half-erect cock pressed against her wet cheeks. She was trapped between two bodies, somebody’s hand grabbing her hair and nudging her to open her mouth, Liara’s lap grinding against the back of her head.

Shepard forced his cock between her lips, and started moving himself smoothly in and out. Judging by the rough tugging, it was Liara trying to bob her head up and down his shaft. Clothes were falling and there was some serious moaning and gasping above her as the asari and Shepard were making each other hot. Miranda felt Shepard’s cock hardening to full attention in her mouth. He tasted musky, salty, his hot cock slid in and out between her lips, getting slippery, her tongue rubbing along the underside, filling her, making her gag a little.

Miranda was getting dizzy, her head was throbbing with dull pain, her skin still very sensitive from Liara’s lesson. Finally she felt Shepard’s cock slipping out from her mouth and they climbed onto the bed, leaving Miranda kneeling on the floor. She closed her eyes and slowly slid down, curling up on the floor, teary-eyed and with his taste in her mouth, drifting off into an exhausted sleep while they were still going at it on the bed.

She woke up to being touched again. She fell asleep on the floor, at the foot of the bed and must have slept for hours, because it was a night cycle again. A hand was running up and down along the curve of her hip, warming up her skin. Shepard again, kneeling over her. He noticed she was awake, and hushed her quietly, brushing her hair from her face and stroking her chin. She tensed and stayed motionless.

His caress was actually soft, and not unpleasant. It would have been relaxing if not for the circumstances. Miranda swallowed, her mouth still faintly tasting of him, making her a bit queasy. The dull buzzing in the back of her head was not helping. She felt both of his hands on her hips. He took a good grip and started to flip her on her knees, ass up. When she tried to lift herself groggily to her hands, he put one hand on her shoulder and pushed her down.

Miranda bit her lip, squeezing her eyes shut, trying not to cry from the exhaustion. Cheek pressed to the floor, on her knees, ass up she waited, trying to relax a little. Hands rubbed in pleasant circles all over her ass. A gentle squeeze, and then cheeks pulled apart. Cooler air brushing over her sex. One hand on her ass, the other disappearing. The warm touch of his cock against her folds. She jerked at that, a small, desperate whimper escaping. She was so tired. She didn’t want this.

The tip rubbed up and down her folds, stroking her sensitive lips smoothly, parting them, poking deeper, collecting some moisture. The firm grip on her ass, giving her a little massage, thumb working closer and closer to her cleft. His cock sliding slowly, gently increasing the pressure each time it passed her soft entrance, taking its time.

And then the pressure, making her whimper again. His hand pulling at her buttcheek to spread her open, ease his way in. The head slipping in painfully slow, muscles working to accomodate, and then the one sudden moment when the whole tip was in. Shepard let out a quiet sigh, wiggling his hip to get into a better position, moving her as well. Miranda shuddered, the pressure forcing her to arch her back and ease the discomfort. Her body was reacting to the invasion, heating up and dampening, but her stomach felt tight and her mind wanted to pull away.

He worked himself deeper, taking his time until they became slippery enough and her walls less tight. Miranda tried to stay quiet. Finally he sunk half of his length into her which was enough for him to let his cock go and grab her hair with his right hand, gripping her hip with the left. As he slowly, leisurely fucked her he gradually leaned over her, closer and closer, breathing faster and stronger. His moves got harder, more demanding.

Liara was asleep on the bed, so he kept quiet, not hammering his lap against her ass, but he didn’t have to be so careful as last time. Miranda stared into the darkness, cheek pressed into the floor, blinking tears out of her eyes while she saw his shadow looming closer and closer above her. There was something predatory in his fluid moves, something wild, but he was not humping her. He was _taking_ her. She was certainly not giving herself to him, she _was_ the pinned down prey, but her body adapted. He felt warm and hard inside her, not unnatural, not painful, but not pleasant. Still, she was getting wet, and the heat reached her cheeks and she was gasping, too.

There were a few hard, rapid, rough jerks as he stabbed his cock deep inside her, then he froze, let out a shuddering sigh and released inside her, his hot juice spreading quickly and filling her up. He was leaning over her, putting his weight on her hip, his breath coming in hot waves. She shivered, closing her eyes, hoping it was over.

There was a quiet, wet pop as he pulled out, the pressure gone, but the memory of him remained in her flesh, suddenly feeling colder. He wiped his cock clean on her ass and let her fall back onto her side, his hot cum slowly trickling out. He threw her a blanket, and crawled back to bed. It was really over. She felt empty, the suddenness of his absence almost as painful as his invasion. She pulled the blanket over her body, curling into a ball and tried to sleep.

* * *

Life settled into a pattern for Miranda, although there was very little system or logic in it. Liara continued her “training”, always very thorough, putting her through the same poses, and whipping Miranda regardless of her level of cooperation. And Miranda was not an eager student. She didn’t exactly fight back or disobeyed, but even at the cost of a few extra whippings, she made her feelings clear for Liara.

The asari was clever, though, coming up with new ways to increase her discomfort. She quickly discovered that Miranda had very sensitive breasts, which made extra punishment easier for her. She also made their sessions feel like fitness training, going through the paces, changing this and that, increasing the strength, the intensity, making Miranda sweat and shiver from exhaustion at the end. Liara also worked herself up frequently, undressing gradually and forcing Miranda to eat her out in different position and different places in the room after that. She especially enjoyed this when they were all sweaty and musky from the excercise.

Miranda tried to keep track of time between sessions, but they were random. First she thought that Liara was just that flimsy, but she was very thorough when she was handling her. She was just being unpredictable. Sometimes she switched to a riding crop, when she was angry, which left uglier marks that faded slower. And then there were ropes or cuffs to restrain her. Liara also changed around her wardrobe. The heels and the thigh-highs were a constant, but the rest was always changing. 

She took her out into the canteen for lunch, but not every day. Sometimes before their playtime, dressed fairly decent in underwear or lingerie. One other time she dragged her out topless, in black silk panties. Or after playtime, with her skin all blushed and criscrossed with pink marks from the flailing.

Of course, Miranda was familiar with such tactics from her Academy training. This was a game of attrition, intended to wear a prisoner down. She never knew how much peace and rest she could have. She was already feeling the effects, exhaustion making it harder for her to concentrate, kept loosing track of time, and then the dull buzzing of the dampening collar making her slow sometimes or giving her headaches.

And then there was Shepard. They sometimes completely ignored her and had crazy sex, or used her as a lubricant, making her get them wet enough so she can be discarded while they had a romp. A few times Miranda was something to hold onto or rub against while Liara was being fucked by Shepard: grabbing Miranda’s thighs and moaning into her sex while Shepard fucked her; or lying on her back, Liara kneeling above her head and Shepard kneeling behind, pumping his cock into the asari inches from Miranda’s face. And then disgustingly unloading on her.

But the nights were a whole different matter. Not every night, but often enough, Shepard took her the same way: from behind, pinned, in silence. Like he was cheating on Liara, driven by the thrill of getting caught. He was never rough, but it was always about his pleasure. He was not trying to soften her up or charm her with his sexual innuendos. They were making Miranda blush with shame. Although she didn’t enjoy them, she learned to make it as much comfortable as possible, bending herself or pushing her hips out even in advance, to ease the process. She told herself it was just to ease the discomfort. It was getting easier as time passed.

 

* * * * * 

Ashley was going steadily crazy. She _knew_ it was going to take time, many months, probably, until they could catch Shepard in any way, and she should get used to the fact, but her mind refused to be rational about it. She desperately missed Miranda. It was mostly the intimacy, of course, and concern for her fate, but she could be very observant and coldly calculating. Which was unnerving, but sometimes it was very hot. Okay, it was mostly about the intimacy, but everybody knew that Miranda was a very good operative on her own rights, and she made her own career.

Ashley, however, was going the Williams family way: almost reaching the top and then falling flat and buried by their failure. She locked herself into their flat for two days after the incident, reporting to Anderson only after she pulled herself together.

The investigation was quick and painless. Anderson arranged her to be “reassigned” to Councilor Udina as an Alliance Military Operations Liaison on the Citadel. A desk job. From the outside it looked like the proper punishment. Except that Garrus never left her side and Anderson decided that he also needed to spend a few weeks on the citadel on official matters.

They were having quiet meetings, the three of them, to figure out what’s the next step should be. The only thing that was obvious is that they had almost zero budget for any covert op, and they couldn’t really use Alliance personnel. Ashley was getting desperate, and irritated. Udina was supposed to be bullying her with paperwork, but that cover was quickly broken down to Udina not talking to her and ignoring her. He also developed a strain in his shoulder.

Anderson tried to keep her focused, and Ashley appreciated it but that didn’t help much. Garrus was the calm center of her storm. As she was spinning out of control, he was keeping her in check, most of the time. It took only one week at the gym until no human male was willing to spar with her in the training ring. Apart from Garrus, only some amused turian C-Sec guys were up for the punches she could throw.

And then the comm beeped. There was an incoming call, very early in the day cycle, minutes after she walked into her tiny office. It was Shepard again. He was smiling, sitting calmly, while next to him on the right, a naked female torso was visible, discreetly framed just below her chest and above her waistline. Tight, flat belly, with a logo tattooed under the navel. The whole picture was framed like a news anchor’s desk. Ashley’s heart sank.

“Hello, Ash. Missed me?” Shepard purred. Ashley was frozen in place, mind going blank, meanwhile trying to retain some sort of composure. Shepard didn’t wait for an answer. “No, of course not. I totally get it.”  
“What do you want now?” Ashley snarled, trying to look at Shepard only and not the quivering body next to him. She failed miserably.  
“Just a courtesy call. To say I’m happy you keep your side of the agreement— so far.” He chuckled, turning to his right, and running a hand along the curvy hip, and then brushing over the tattoo.

“Is that all?! Or you decided to torture me some more. What else can you—” she bit off the rest of the sentence, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. When she looked up, her eyes were focused on his face only. “Don’t play games. Take your victory and move on.”  
Shepard nodded thoughtfully.

“Of course, of course. Moving on. Be _lieve_ me!” he grinned. “I just called to establish that we both keep our promises. See? No harm done,” he indicated the body next to him. “Even got a sign of protection. Took her under my wings. Come here, dear,” he reached behind the body and pulled her down by her shoulders. Breasts flashed quickly across the screen and there was Miranda’s face. Still disheveled, hair in disarray, but no physical signs of abuse. But her eyes—

It made Ashley’s heart stop for a second. Miranda was looking away, avoiding the camera. Her stare was blank. She knew she was still there, her features still strong, and defiant enough. She still had her wits, but she didn’t want to look at her. At that moment, Ashley almost blurted out that she will promise anything if she got Miranda back. She would resign and settle down at a mining colony if she could get Miranda back. It almost slipped out.

“She is fine and healthy and she will stay this way unless YOU give me some other reason.” Shepard noticed something on Ashley’s face, which made him stop and ponder something. He continued in a less teasing voice. “I will even do you the courtesy of not calling and not sending you pictures— Or I _could_ check in regularly with updates, if that’s what you want.”

Ashley looked at Miranda again, her thoughts racing in her head. She was grabbing the edge of the desk so strong her arms started to hurt.  
“Congratulations, Shepard. You won. You got what you wanted.” Is that what he wanted to hear? But Shepard shook his head, flashing her a sad smile.  
“No, I didn’t.” He stared directly at Ashley, trying to catch her gaze, while she was watching Miranda with a tormented look. When she finally turned her gaze towards him and their eyes met, Shepard finished. “But I take what I can get.”

The screen went dark. Ashley sat there and stared into space for a long, long time. She was very close to breaking down in front of Shepard and beg him to let Miranda go. Or take her instead. She was very very close.

After what seemed like hours, she finally moved, and slowly dialed Anderson’s number, camera turned off.  
“What is it, Williams?”  
“I need an N7 operative.”  
There was a long silence at the other end of the line.  
“I’ll meet you in three ours,” Anderson replied and cut the line.


	5. The Ways of the Hunter

“Lieutenant Commander Williams,” Anderson said, motioning towards the man just stepping to their table, “Let me introduce you to major Kai Leng.”  
They were sitting in a café in the Presidium, Ashley and Garrus on one side of the table, across from Anderson. The young asian man saluted curtly to Anderson and nodded to the others, and dropped himself down next to Anderson, leaning back, hands on the table. He looked immediately relaxed, but his eyes were curiously darting back and forth from Garrus to Ashley and Anderson.

“Major Kai Leng is an N7 operative. Studied under Admiral Hackett, until—” he didn’t finish. All knew what he meant.  
Ashley nodded to Kai Leng and leaned forward.  
“Major Kai Leng, what can you tell us about Admiral Hackett?” She asked, cutting to the chase immediately. She was still shaken up from the earlier call and was in no mood for pleasantries. 

Kai Leng shot a questioning glance at Anderson.  
“Is this some kind of a test, general? You all know everything about the admiral.” He didn’t sound irritated, just a bit curious. He had a calculating stare, Ashley could tell. He was gauging them up the same way they were gauging him. Garrus was playing the usual bird of prey statue game, if it was a game at all. Ashley remained impassive.  
“We want to hear your take on Hackett, major,” Anderson said quietly. 

Leng looked at Ashley.  
“Admiral Hackett was the finest soldier in the Alliance.” His gaze traveled back to Anderson. “Until he went batshit crazy. It’s a damn shame we had to put him down.” He looked back at Ashley unblinking. “Now, how about we get to the point. You’re going after his favorite student, right? You’re going after Shepard.”  
Ashley looked at the general, who just shrugged. “I didn’t tell him.”  
Garrus and Ashley exchanged glances.  
“Your file says you were in the same training program as Shepard. You both studied under Hackett.”  
“So?”  
“Would this be a problem for you?”  
Leng grinned, looking back and forth between them.  
“Like what? Hunting down a rogue N7 that made us look bad? I’ve been sidelined for almost a year now, commander, because they ‘can’t trust us at the moment’. Playing fucking bodyguard to Alliance brass.” He glared at Anderson. “No offense.” He said, although they both know he was not sorry.

Garrus chuckled and leaned back, amused. Ashley pushed a datapad across the table to Kai Leng.  
“This is all we have on his crew and his latest operations. I hoped you could give us some insight.”

“Am I in? Or just consulting?” Kai Leng asked, not even looking up from scrolling through the data. “Cause I’m not a fucking analyst.” He looked up for a second.  
“I like the kid already,” Garrus chuckled.

Anderson and Ashley exchanged glances. Anderson seemed to be just as amused as Garrus, and a little bit proud, while Ashley was more than happy to speak plainly and get the answers she needed. She was in a foul mood, every minute wasted, and the images of Miranda on the screen slowly burned themselves into her mind. Instead of being annoyed by Leng’s attitude, she felt relieved.

“Talk to us and I will let you know,” Ashley replied. The asian glanced up from the datapad and went back to scrolling it as he spoke up.

“About time somebody had the brains to ask an N7. You were going at it wrong all this time.” He put the datapad down, rested his hands in his lap and looked up. “I’m surprised you got this far against Shepard. Not bad, considering.” He caught Ashley’s glare. “Yeah, heard about your op going south. Too bad you lost that spook chick. She was good. She didn’t stand a chance, but the plan was solid. Would have worked against anybody else.”

Ashley balled her hands into fists under the table. She clenched her jaw shut so hard, it almost hurt.  
“I know. My fault. Moving on. Explain.” She hissed. Leng raised a curious eyebrow, then lifted his hands up in a gesture of peace.

“Hey. Not blaming anybody. He had an inside man. Your team was big and he is an N7. He’s got resources.” He pointed at the datapad. “He used to run with the 10th Street Reds back on Earth. He’s doing the same now with his crew. Only he uses his high-level training to dodge us. He knows our counter-terrorist playbook. And his crew— it’s hand-picked. You need a small, highly mobile, low profile team to go after him.”

Ashley looked at Anderson and they both nodded. Garrus shrugged.  
“Congratulations, major. You’re in.”  
Kai Leng nodded, like it was obvious. He looked at them curiously.  
“So how big is the team?”  
Ashley snorted. “You’re looking at it.”  
Leng sat up, his curiosity piqued. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table and looked Ashley in the eye.  
“I admire your spirit, commander, and I’m more than happy to hunt that bastard down, but this is not enough. I heard your name after the Skyllian Blitz. You’re good. I’m good. But unless you’ve got a few more names in your pocket, this won’t be enough.”  
“Afraid of Vega?”  
Kai Leng snorted.  
“That N1 dropout? Please.”

“What else do we need?”  
“Well, between the three of us, we’ve got the firepower and three different sets of tactics, but we’re too obviously military. We need some unpredictability. And, oh, yes, a fucking good biotic.”  
“Against Liara?”  
“No, the asari is not the problem.” Leng shrugged. “She can be dealt with. Your biggest problem is Alenko. He is a genuine psycho. Fries your brain before you can say ‘oh shit’. He’s bad news.”

“I thought he is burned out,” Ashley said. “Got discharged and set up in a rehab facility. I thought Shepard sprung him for sentimental reasons.”  
Kai Leng shrugged. “True. He is his oldest friend. But also, he was the only survivor of the incident at Akuze. Held himself in a biotic bubble until rescue arrived. His L2 gear fused with his nervous system completely. The guy is fried.”  
“Everybody knows that. It’s in his file.”  
“Yes, but this is where it gets interesting. If he is not on painkillers, he can melt your brains out from across the room. On drugs he may look like a harmless giant baby, but off the drugs he’s a paranoid, sadist freak. He’s also not stupid. He is Shepard’s wild card.”

Ashley sighed. She never knew what to think about Kaidan. She thought there was something else, some reason behind having him on board. She slowly shook her head.  
“Okay, let me worry about that one.” She felt a familiar pressure in her chest, the desperation, the thought of Miranda in their hands. Shepard already gave her enough glimpse about what she was going through. “One last problem.”

“How do we catch him?” Kai Leng finished her thought. “Yes. A pickle.”  
“That’s kind of why are you here, major. How do you take down a rogue N7 if he knows the playbook?”  
Leng shrugged, looking out over the Presidium vista. “You use his tactics against him. Just like he uses the guerrilla tactics he was trained to fight against.”

This caught everybody’s attention. Even Anderson sat up and gave a sideways glance to Ashley. She nodded, going over the ideas in her head.  
“So we attack his infrastructure, his contacts. Isolate him, using indirect strikes?” She said it out loud. Leng looked back at her with a confident gaze.  
The silence stretched longer around the table.

“Oh, sorry, you’re actually asking me?” Kai Leng asked after a while. Ashley glared at her. “Interesting. I thought you were the leader of this op.”  
“I am. I was the one requesting you. I also listen to the input from my team,” replied Ashley, looking straight into Leng’s eyes to show him she’s serious.  
Kai Leng pursed his lips, nodding in approval. After being sidelined for so long, he was surprised that an Alliance officer actually bothered to treat him as something more than a weapon.

“What you described is the 101 of Low Intensity Terrorism. Hire thugs, hit his contacts, make them turn on him, limit his movements. Herd him where you want him.”  
Ashley nodded. She looked at Garrus, who gave her a short nod. She took a big breath.  
“You have the files, Leng. I need ideas about targets. I’ll try to find... thugs. And some biotic.” She turned towards Anderson. “This is it, general,” Ashley said with a shrug and a meaningful glance. 

Anderson understood and pondered, stone-faced. He had all the information. He had to make the call to authorize an operation that was not approved by high command, led by a disgraced officer against a renegade agent and his crew. They had no support, no budget, and no equipment. Nobody would be able to help them out if they got into trouble. Impossible odds.  
Anderson nodded. “I’ll make some calls.”

* * * * *

The migraines were getting worse. Most of the time it was either dull or tolerable, but sometimes Miranda felt a throbbing pressure in her temples, which made her clench her teeth. On those bad occasions she would rush to move when Liara ordered her around just to avoid any extra pain or display of aggression from the asari.

After the routine of going through those embarrassing poses, walking her around on all fours, on the leash, or sit around in poses displaying her best features while Liara was doing something else, she really felt like the asari was taking the whole pet thing literally.  
Liara had a small room behind Dr. Michel’s med bay, where she kept her research data she worked on, before meeting Shepard and abandoning it. A terminal, relics, notes, boxes scattered the room. When she wasn’t in Shepard’s cabin and bothered to acknowledge Miranda’s presence, she took her to her little room. That involved walking her across the mess hall, showing her off to the crew hanging out at the canteen in the meantime, always in revealing, almost-nothing sexy outfits. The crew was giving them cheers, making remarks about Miranda and complimenting Liara.

Liara even had a little place set up for Miranda in the other room, which involved some blankets and pillows at the foot of the desk, where Miranda was supposed to kneel or lie about if Liara allowed it. She wanted to spy on the asari as much as she could, figure out what has she been doing on the terminal, what notes she took, anything, but they were slowly winning the exhaustion game on her. The irregular rests, the lashings, all the physical abuse were taking a toll on her willpower and her ability to concentrate. She had no energy left to plot anything. She was strong, but it was always a one-sided game. The best she could do was hold on as long as possible and make it harder for them to wear her down.

When a stronger migraine hit her, it was even harder. She had to concentrate just to listen to Liara and avoid the lashings. When she complained about the headaches, the asari dismissed them as ways to avoid the training. She flogged her a few times before she stopped complaining.

And then one very bad day she was kneeling before the couch in Shepard’s room, between Liara’s legs after another session of humiliation and good deal of lashing. Her back and ass was still burning from the flail, and she was eating the asari out. She could only use her hands when permitted, otherwise she had to put them behind her back, like this time. She was handcuffed a couple of times before she gave up fighting and realized she’s better off if she complies. It was more comfortable.

She wanted to make Liara cum before the pain from the lashings went away and she was left alone with the throbbing migraine again, when she couldn’t pay attention. She was panting hard, which helped with the pressure in her skull and also washed the smooth blue mounds in hot breath, which made Liara gasp in pleasure.

She licked between her folds, tasting her moisture, spreading it up and out from her cleft. She pressed the tip of her tongue against her peak, stretching her tongue out thin and twirled around her folds. Ashley loved that, she thought for a moment, and closed her eyes, trying to imagine her in place of the asari. It almost worked, although the scent and the taste was different, and Ash was stronger, her muscles firmer and she would grip her hair—

Liara clasped her head between her thighs, squeezing tightly, trapping Miranda against her rocking, grinding lap as she was nearing her release, gasping and moaning louder. Miranda was actually grateful for the pressure, it eased her migraine, and helped her really go down on the asari. Ashley wasn’t this rough, she thought as she slid her wet tongue along her soft, blue flesh, drinking her in, sucking her petals into her mouth, and letting Liara grind her azure against her. A few more tugging with the suction of her lips and she felt muscles relaxing and tensing against her mouth, pressing down deeper to push Liara over.

She came gushing, shuddering as she gripped Miranda hard with her legs, letting out a long, deep moan while her juices flowed and trickled out, and she had to drink it up before Liara made her lick it off the couch. She tasted different than Ashley, she thought, feeling miserable for a few seconds before the asari’s writhing and the dull headache distracted her. She should be grateful for it, she thought. The hard treatment and the pain all turned her thoughts away from the anguish she felt because of Ashley. She could not look in her eyes the last time Shepard called her. She was starting to wish they never meet again. She couldn’t face her after what has been done to her.

Liara was panting hard, the small trembles signaling the aftershocks of her orgasm. The grip of her thighs on her head was getting softer. She was trapped until the asari let her go. She breathed long and deep to ease her discomfort, warming Liara’s blue lap. She was already starting to think like a slave, she realized. She was slowly giving up, and she didn’t know how long she would be able to hold herself together.

When Liara released her with a satisfied sigh, she slumped down, back on her heels and rested her head on the edge of the couch. The room felt cooler after the firm asari thighs warming her skin. The coolness was welcome, but the headache started to return. It would have been so interesting to fool around with an asari maiden, under different circumstances. There’s a fantasy ruined, she thought.

“Well done, pet,” Liara gasped, patting her roughly on the head. She caught her breath slowly, watching Miranda with hazy eyes. “I think it’s time to reward you for your good behavior lately.” She purred, brushing her hair out from her face. “You would like that, huh? Get a little taste of the pleasures awaiting you?”  
Miranda just wanted to lie down and press her temple against a cold surface.  
“I really don’t—” she tried to protest, but the asari slid off the couch and pushed Miranda face first onto the seat, firmly parting her thighs apart as she knelt on the floor. Liara sighed, caressing the pale, perfectly round ass lovingly. The fading pink marks of the leather flail just highlighted her curves, and her attention drifted to the smooth mound of Miranda's sex between her muscular cheeks.

“You’re beautiful, pet,” Liara cooed, and touched Miranda’s mound, gently sliding her fingers between her thighs, reaching her pubes, softly cupping her sex in her palm. Miranda still jolted from the first touch, not sure if she should expect pain or caress. She pressed her cheek against the smooth surface of the couch, her hands resting on both sides of her head.  
“Please—” she whispered. She wanted to rest. “You don’t have to—”  
“Hush, puppy,” Liara growled. “You deserve this.”  
She started to rub her mound with one hand, stroking her ass with the other. Miranda wiggled herself into a more comfortable position, spreading her thighs a bit and pushing her ass out to slide into the asari’s palm easier. Liara took it as encouragement, and started to rub her palm against her slit, fingers massaging her flesh, one fingertip going exploring for he clit.

Miranda groaned, but it wasn’t pleasure. She shifted her position to avoid more discomfort and not because she enjoyed it. Liara’s hand was firm, but she was not really trying to give pleasure to Miranda. She wanted to get pleasure from working the human female’s so enticing pussy, enjoying the texture, her petals, the folds hiding her clit, the moisture. It was how she imagined Miranda should take pleasure.

After a few minutes, she still wasn’t getting hot. Her sex got more moist but more from the physical contact. She did get more sensitive and blood was rushing to her lap, it was just not doing anything for Miranda. She tried to moan and groan and move her hip a little bit, but she was not that good at faking it, especially with a headache.

She felt when the asari started to lose her patience. She learned the small nuances quite well now. Liara was enjoying fondling her ass, she worked herself up a bit again, as she knelt next to Miranda on the floor, but she also knew that Miranda should be all hot and bothered by now, as she usually was, when Shepard or Miranda gave her a similar treatment. But her pet was not getting drenched.

She growled impatiently and grabbed her leg, flipped her onto her back on the couch, lifting her legs above her head and started to work her blue fingers earnestly against Miranda’s damp entrance. Miranda hissed and jerked, trying to relax, spreading her legs a bit to give better access, anything to ease the discomfort.

“Please, Liara,” she whispered again, trying to look at her. “My head— it’s not—”  
Liara growled, hushing her. She grabbed Miranda’s leg with her left hand, holding it vertically, while she pressed a finger against the muscles of her entrance. She was twisting her finger and pushing in. Miranda groaned, trying to relax. It was not working.  
“Guh, please. Stop—”

Liara pushed inside her with a firm move. It didn’t cause pain, but it was uncomfortable, she wasn’t ready. She jerked, and tensed, feebly reaching between her legs, trying to take Liara’s hand and ease it a bit. Liara snarled, and despite Miranda’s hands, she pushed deeper and started fingering her roughly.

“Stop, please. It hurts. Liara, please,” she whined, but the asari was determined to push through the pain until she got wet enough and turn it into pleasure. It wasn’t happening. Miranda started crying out, body jerking. She didn’t care about punishment, she just grabbed Liara’s hand and squeezed it to pull her out, in vain.

That’s when Liara really flipped out. She stabbed inside Miranda a few more times, out of pure anger, roughly, then yanked her hand free with a frustrated, almost hysterical growl. Tears were gathering in her eyes, and she whined, on the verge of crying. Miranda collapsed back on the couch, letting her legs slip down to the floor, cupping her sex with both hands, choking back tears as she bit her lip.

Liara looked like the girl who tried very hard to make something nice to somebody else, but the present got ruined.  
“Why are you not happy?!” the asari cried, slamming her hand down on the couch, next to Miranda’s shoulder, which made her jump a bit, afraid Liara was going to hit her. “I’m doing you a favor, you ungrateful bitch!” she sobbed, slamming her fist down on the seat again. “You should be more thankful!”

That was when she grabbed her hair, and pulled her off the couch, onto the floor. Miranda’s hands flew to the hand grabbing her hair to ease the pain as she slid to the floor. She pulled her legs up, turning sideways to pull away. Liara somehow got hold of the flail again, and with quickly increasing anger, she started lashing her wherever she could, down her thighs, her hips, ribs, back.  
“Is this how you thank me, you little bitch, huh? I should throw you to the crew! You should show more gratitude!” Liara screamed as she showered Miranda with lashes.

Miranda was writhing on the floor, trying to cover herself with her hands, reaching out to stop the barrage, screaming and begging her to stop.  
“I’m sorry, Liara! I’m sorry!” she sobbed after a few minutes, when nothing else worked, as she slowly crawled away from the raging asari. “I’m really sorry! Please stop!”  
“Liara!” Shepard’s voice came from the door. He walked up to her and grabbed her wrist before she could strike again. Liara whined in frustration, tears streaking down her face. She fought a little, but Shepard held her hand and shoulder, and pulled the naked asari maiden to his chest, hugging her tightly. Liara was sobbing in frustration.  
“Why doesn’t she like me? She’s not happy, Shepard! How can she not like me? You said she was into girls. What’s wrong with her?!” she wailed into Shepard’s chest. He was hushing her, hugging her close, whispering soothing words into her frills.  
“It’s all right, doll. Let it all out, girl. Don’t worry, Liara. It’s okay.”

Miranda meanwhile was a moaning, sobbing mess on the floor, one hand grabbing the edge of the bed, holding onto something she could squeeze while the burning pain washed over her. Her pale skin was turning red everywhere. She couldn’t stop groaning, the headache and the flailing amplifying each other. Her hair fell across her face, hiding her from them as she tried to stop moving and stay in a position that didn’t hurt much.

By the time she pulled herself together, the room was quiet, no crying, complaining, whining. No movement, no noises. She still couldn’t raise her head, but at least her skin was cooling down. She needed some softness, a little warmth. She knew she was not supposed to do it, but she crawled onto the bed and curled into a ball in the middle of the blankets.  
“Quite the firecracker, isn’t she?”  
She jolted, and tried to turn her head towards Shepard’s voice. He was still in the room. She could only groan, the migraine receding a little bit, but the exhaustion was kicking in. She didn’t know how much time has passed.

“Yes, she’s adorable,” she mumbled, trying to open her eyes.  
“She is” Shepard said with a dreamy voice. He sat down on the bed, his weight denting the mattress, making it bounce a little. “You should have seen her, when we first met.”  
“Before you did the same thing to her?” Miranda spat, at least she tried. She went for sarcastic but her voice came out as sulking.  
“Oh, no. I did no such thing. This is all her” he said the last part proudly.  
Miranda looked up at him from under her hair and eyelashes, squinting. That was the best she could do. She was still balled up, clutching a blanket in her fists, as if she were to release it, she would fall into more pain.

“I’m happy for you guys. I feel like a third wheel. I should probably leave.”  
Shepard chuckled, tilting his head to look at Miranda. Ignoring her misery, he absently started to brush her hair from her face to look at her better.  
“She was this gray little mouse. A regular geek girl, up to her neck in ancient history and research. Shy as a violet.” He actually sighed in nostalgia. Miranda glared at him. She would not ask the obvious question. She wanted to kill him with her gaze.

He waited a bit, running his hand along Miranda’s shoulder and arm, slipping his palm to her thigh and absently stroking it. When she didn’t speak, he continued.  
“I didn’t hurt her. I wasn’t even interested in her. Not after—” he waved in front of him, before patting her thigh again. “You know. After you guys. I was done with chicks for a while.”  
“Bummer.”  
Shepard frowned at her but she could see that he did not take it as an insult. He was amused. His hand caressed the red welts on her ass.

“She came on to me. Like a schoolgirl in love. All big-eyed and flustered. Totally clueless.” He laughed at the memory, then shrugged. “She is really smart. Really. Just emotionally, she is like a child. So I showed her everything. Opened her eyes. Didn’t lift a finger. I just _fucked_ her. _Fucked_ her really hard and a lot of times. I fucked her brains out. She was begging for it. Ah, yes.”

Miranda felt disgusted. They never figured out, how a scientist, like Liara ended up with Shepard and became this force of nature. They only knew he was sent to pick her up on Therum and bring her to Mars to study the prothean ruins. And then it all got fuzzy, until now. In normal circumstances, Miranda would have been happy to get ahold of this information, a piece of the Shepard-puzzle. Now she could only glare at him.

Shepard looked into her eyes, and chuckled at the hatred radiating from them. He patted her hip playfully. “Maybe I should do the same to you, hmmm? I know you get more and more accommodated during our— midnight snacks.” His hand slid down to her ankle, leaving her skin tingle in its wake. She wished she had the strength to claw his eyes out.  
“Not now, honey. I have a migraine,” she moaned and tried to pull away.

Shepard laughed and wrapped his hand around her ankle, gently pulling at her leg.  
“I’m sure Liara would be upset—” she tried again.  
“I sent her away to cool off. It’s alright,” he said quietly and started to pull her body gently towards the edge of the bed. He stretched her out on her back, letting her legs dangle down to the floor from the knee down. She feebly tried to cover her torso, but Shepard took her wrists.

“Relax, Miranda, it’s gonna be fine,” he smiled, looking at her face as he pulled her arms away from her chest and laid her arms along her body, her wrists down on both sides of her hip.

Miranda was anything but relaxed, but she was also too tired to struggle. She turned her head to one side, resting her chin on her shoulder and closed her eyes. As soon as Shepard’s lips touched her thigh above her knees, she gasped. She couldn’t move even if she wanted to, but she would have squirmed a little as the kisses traveled up towards her lap. She took several deep breaths, not just to try and chase away the headache, but to keep calm.  
“What—” she gasped. By then Shepard was tasting her other thigh, leaving warm, damp spots on her skin as he reached her hip. “Don’t—”

It was too late. Shepard pressed his lips just above her patch of pubic hair and started to lick and kiss upwards, towards her navel. Miranda’s eyes rolled back and she let out a moan. Her torso tensed up, arching her back, abdomen pressing against the kisses, her muscles trembling slightly. Her legs twitched involuntarily and she heard Shepard chuckle, his breath caressing her skin as well.

With all the exhaustion and abuse, Miranda was losing her battle to keep her wits, letting out shuddering sighs, trying to move her hands in Shepard’s grip.  
“Please—” she moaned, her thoughts quickly scattering. The migraine seemed to be fading and she was not really sure what she begged for, but she whispered it again, maybe that would jog her memory. “Puh-please—” Was it stop? Or don’t stop?

She gasped when the first kiss landed on her mound. She was still aware that the hands holding her down belonged to her captor, that the strong grip would not let her go and that it was stubble that grated against her smooth skin, but the touches were so soothing to her scattered mind and her weary body that she was slowly letting go.

Warm lips found her folds and made out with her soft flesh, a tongue lashing between her petals and she took a shuddering breath again, tears springing to her eyes. The headache was almost gone and finally, finally the touches were soft and gentle. She melted into the bed as stubble tickled her mound, and his tongue licked her sex open, coating her soft flesh in warm wetness. The hand on her right wrist started to slide up her arm slowly, and as he lapped closer and deeper against her entrance, the hand gently cupped her breast and made her moan again.  
“Please...”

Miranda drifted away, let the gentle waves of building pleasure carry her, the touch firm but careful on her breast, thumb brushing across her nipple. “Please...”  
She felt his hot breath on her mound as he eagerly lapped her pussy, the tip of his tongue drawing circles around her hole, or flicking her clit up and down. Her legs twitched when he touched something sensitive, parting a bit more, her whole body shifting, curves rolling. Her right hand slid up his arm that fondled her breast. First she wanted to push him away, but now she just held onto his arm. “Please...”

Then she felt him shifting his weight around, letting her go completely for a few seconds. She should have tried to roll away. She will, but first she should catch her breath—  
He gripped her left arm above her elbow, his other hand going back to her breast and she felt being pulled a bit lower and then something warm and hard rubbed against her mound. She looked down, between her breasts, and saw Shepard’s erection as it slid up and down along her cleft, coating the underside with their juices, parting her mound gently, the tip glistening with a drop of precum.

Miranda gripped his forearm that fondled her breast and watched the sight almost as mesmerized, as he was staring down at her body, seemingly unable to stop fondling her breast.  
“Please, Shepard...” she gasped.  
“Sssh, it will be all right,” he whispered back, rubbing her nipple again with his thumb, that made Miranda throw her head back between the blankets with a moan.  
“Please...” Miranda moaned, possibly to ask him to go on. She didn’t know. It was so pleasant in the bed, the stress of somebody hurting her or making her uncomfortable gone. She could certainly use a little—

“Ah, god!” she gasped when she felt pressure at her damp entrance, something round and warm and firm pushing her muscles apart, sinking in slowly. It was a familiar size and hardness and still better because she was prepared for it, not like in the middle of the night. She was still restrained and could do nothing about it, but she actually needed that rush of heat and adrenaline that seemingly spread from her pussy being pushed open.

There was another sob when he slipped inside her, the head of his cock passing her entrance, and it was easier after that. She squeezed his arm harder, and gasping out with every thrust, she stared wide-eyed into his eyes, like she was in shock. Her breast swayed gently, the perfect, round shape bouncing up and down, nipple standing hard, her other nipple trapped under his thumb.

Miranda picked up the rhythm and tried to stay with it as much as her strength allowed it, wanting so very bad to get release. She was whispering her pleas constantly, while Shepard smiled down at her and assured her that it was okay. His cock was so firm, nestled inside her, filling her, stretching her walls, it felt like sin. She almost felt every bump and muscle and vein as his hot, throbbing cock slid along her wetness, rubbing her front walls harder. He kept their pose, keeping himself at arm’s length from her to be able to enjoy watching her body.

And then he started pumping with harder thrusts, but still slowly, sensing her excitement building. She was moaning louder, taking shallow breaths in between, rolling her head back and closing her eyes slowly.  
“Please... huhhh, please...” she shuddered, her whole body tensing up and she started to cum. It was not a wild, earth shattering, thrashing and flailing kind of release, but a long, constant tremble that seized her body and made her lock up in a slightly arched pose and shiver uncontrollably. She leaned her head back completely, mouth open and a gasping, long, long moan escaped her. The first time she experienced orgasm since her capture. Seemed like forever.

Her sex squeezed and released around his cock, giving him a firm massage, and he fucked her through her orgasm, letting her silky-soft, wet flesh push him over the edge. He thrust deep inside her, his balls spanking her ass, gripping her perfect, pale breast hard and cock throbbing, muscles twitching he pumped his hot load deep.

Miranda let out a sigh and all strength left her, just lying under Shepard while he finished, trying to catch her breath. The headache was gone for now, and realization will come later. Then she would ball up, pulling a blanket close to her chest, her sex still throbbing from the memory and juices trickling down her thighs, and crying silently, thinking about how weak she was. She would feel shame that she enjoyed it. All the while, Shepard would lie next to her on his back, one arm around her and whisper soothing words into her hair, with a satisfied smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Picture reference for the smut: http://rule34.paheal.net/post/view/1049315


	6. Two Tales of Allies Unknown

The last few weeks have kept Ashley blissfully busy. Sometimes she thought the only reason she set things in motion was that she wouldn’t have time to think or worry about Miranda’s fate. She ran errands for Udina to keep her cover. Shepard made it obvious that they were watching her.

In between being a pretty face for military diplomacy to make Udina look good, she met with Kai Leng at random times in random places. He was mapping out Shepard’s operation, tracing his steps, pointing out where he pulled one of his tricks, where are possible weaknesses. Ashley provided her input based on the data they gathered, and they made a list of the possible targets. Now they needed to find some muscle to help with their plan. Ashley wished she could go on the hits, but she needed to keep her cover. It also didn’t help that their budget was limited to travel and accommodations.

After a few meetings Ashley and Garrus reached an understanding. Since Elysium, the turian was her shadow. They communicated in half-sentences, sometimes it was enough to look at the other and they knew what to do. Those long weeks holding out to the batarians bonded them as close as soldiers can get on the field. They held the other’s life in their hands countless times.

After losing Miranda, it was even harder for her to send him away.  
“I need you to go, brother”, she told him one day, and Garrus nodded. He knew what she meant ever since they decided how they wanted to handle Shepard. “I need you to be in place and be ready to move when I give you the signal.”  
“I will be there, little sister”, he rested a hand on her shoulder. Ashley did the same. She looked into the turian’s dark eyes. And then he got on the next ship to Omega to dig in and keep an eye out until they knew where will they hit Shepard. She never felt lonelier in her entire life.

She was walking back to her apartment after a tiresome day chaperoning Udina’s guests, which left her little time during the day to work on the other project. She was at an impasse, having trouble to find the necessary people for the job, especially without a real budget. A C-Sec captain called Bailey promised to be a good lead. Maybe he can hook her up with some disgruntled ex cops.

She noticed someone on the street outside her flat. Weapons were not allowed in these areas of the Citadel, but that man was either packing, or at least had a holster under his suit. A bodyguard. Not the cheap kind. Keeping an eye on him, she walked into her building. There was another bodyguard on her floor on the corridor.

Ashley stopped and eyed the bodyguard suspiciously. She’s not gonna walk into a trap. The man lifted a hand in a gesture of peace.  
“It’s all right, Lt. Commander Williams”, he said. “He just wants to talk to you.”  
Ashley frowned. “Who?”  
The bodyguard didn’t reply, just waved a hand, motioning towards her apartment. Ashley slowly walked on, still eyeing the bodyguard until she reached her door.

In the dimness of her living room, an older man stood in front of the bookshelf, holding a framed picture in his hands, studying it. He was probably in his late fifties, white hair, straight back, expensive suit, confident posture. Not military. A high-ranking diplomat?  
“Commander.”

She stopped in the door and switched on the light. The man looked at her and Ashley froze.  
“Mr. Lawson,” she willed herself to form the words. She hoped this day would never come. It wasn’t totally unexpected, but something she wanted to avoid. Sort of a worst case scenario. Of course, she was the queen of worst case scenarios.  
“General Anderson was kind enough to point me in your direction. The Alliance was brushing me off back on Earth.” He explained, still holding the photo in his hands. It was a picture of her and Miranda at some formal event. Ashley was wearing her full dress uniform, Miranda in a long, simple white cocktail dress.

“I am— What can I do for you, Mr. Lawson?” She wanted to say she was sorry, but it would have felt pathetic, even though she was Miranda’s commanding officer in that operation. She pulled herself together, swallowing hard. She knew what was coming and she was going to take it like a soldier. She deserved it.

Henry Lawson turned the picture towards her with a faint smile.  
“I heard a lot about you, commander. Your actions on Elysium are well known. You saved a lot of lives.”  
“Uh- Thank you, sir.”  
“I suppose my daughter told terrible things about me.”

Ashley kept quiet. Miranda did talk about him. It was not flattering. Lawson chuckled softly, looking back at the picture.  
“She seems happy in this picture. And content.”  
“Yes, sir.”  
“How about you?” He looked up at Ashley, turning the picture towards her. Ashley shot a glance at the photo. It made her chest hurt.  
“Pride. I was very proud.”

Lawson hummed. “That’s a sin, commander.”  
“I don’t care. I am proud of her.”  
The man nodded and put the picture back on the shelf.  
“The Alliance gave me the usual condescending crap about her mission. I had to dig for _weeks_ until I could finally talk to general Anderson. He tells me, Miranda was under your command.”

Ashley swallowed. _Here it comes_ , she thought.  
“She was. I made a bad call about Shepard. I regret it every day.”  
Lawson nodded “Yes. Anderson told me everything about it. You made a big mess.” He put the picture back on the shelf. “So. What are you going to do about it?”

“I—” Ashley fell quiet. It started as a scolding, but it quickly shifted into something very different. She started to admit her fault, but then she thought about it a bit more.  
If Anderson told him everything, it was because he wanted to. Even the powerful Henry Lawson could not have bullied Anderson into spilling out classified information. He had plans. So what was Lawson doing on the Citadel, talking to her?  
“I intend to hunt Shepard down, sir. I am going to bring him down and get Miranda back.” She sounded more and more determined as she spoke. Lawson ran his fingers over the picture and stepped in front of Ashley, who was still standing in the door.

“The Alliance benched you. Rightfully so.”  
“I don’t give a damn.” She declared. “Shepard is a traitor. And Miranda is mine.” She stared into the millionaire’s eyes. She meant what she said, and she was not going to take shit from anybody. “But that’s not why you are here, Mr. Lawson. You could have buried me from the comfort of your office. And you can’t make me feel any worse, than I already am. What is it that you want?”

The man nodded.  
“I heard that you are short on funds to put a team together and go after that bastard.”  
Ashley nodded.  
“The Alliance cannot accept private donations to fund a non-existent covert operation, Mr. Lawson.”  
“You said you don’t give a damn.”  
“I’m still a marine, sir. I won’t disgrace the Alliance with using questionable methods.”

Lawson’s lips twitched into a smile, as he searched Ashley’s gaze.  
“You realize I just offered you a blank check to get your revenge and you refused?”  
“Mr. Lawson, I will get your daughter back, but it will be on my terms. Clean.”  
The old man pursed his lips, looking Ashley over from head to toe, slowly walking around her to leave. Her heart sank. She probably threw away her best chance to get her little mission funded.

Henry Lawson stepped outside, then slowly turned back.  
“I was planning to hire a private contractor, commander Williams, and pay him generously for bringing my daughter back. You wouldn’t mind... consulting with him, and... give him directions, would you?”  
Ashley let out a soft sigh, trying to hide her relief.  
“Technically, I can’t give him confidential information, Mr. Lawson. But I can talk to him in an unofficial capacity.”

Lawson nodded.  
“Good. He will call you and ask for your... advice as soon as he arrives on the Citadel.”  
“I will be waiting for the call.”  
Lawson nodded, and started walking down the corridor. Ashley took a deep breath and called after him.  
“Mr. Lawson!” The man turned around. “You know, that when this is over... You know she still won’t go back to you.”  
Lawson smiled and nodded slowly.  
“I know. I’m sure she will be in good hands.”  
And with that, he walked away.

Ashley stared at the empty corridor for a long time before she finally stepped back into the apartment and let the door close. She had a lot on her mind. She felt the powers shifting. She felt time slow down as she turned and walked to the shelf. She marveled at how long it took her to reach out and pick up the photograph and run her fingers along Miranda’s image.

She remembered this day. Oh, yes. It was on Arcturus Day, when the Alliance hands out promotions in an official ceremony. That’s when she became Major Ashley Williams. She was in her finest, white full dress uniform. Miranda was in ‘civilian’, as a guest. Even in that simple, long, white dress she looked stunning. Although it looks like Ashley was beaming because of the promotion and Miranda just happened to be posing with her, Major Williams was proud of Agent Lawson. There was a lot of flirting involved.

She remembered walking up to Miranda casually, bobbing her head and smirking like a sailor about to hit on a girl on his shore leave. He even lowered her voice to sound like one of those dumb guys who don’t know they’re out of their league.  
“Hey-y-y there, gorgeous. Y’know, me and mah pals over there were just wonderin’ if them boobs of yours are real.” She even wiggled her eyebrows. Miranda laughed, her voice still sending shivers down her spine.

“You look so hot in this uniform,” Miranda purred into her ear when she leaned over to put down her empty champagne glass. She might have been a bit tipsy, as she stole a touch, giving a discreet caress to Ashley’s neck.  
“You mean, you want to rip it off, or want me to take you in this?” Ashley asked in her best lecherous voice. Miranda slapped her arm in mock outrage.  
“You are disgusting, sir!” She declared, lifting her cheek up, tearing her gaze away, but not before giving Ashley a look and biting down on her lower lip. “I’m going to powder my nose in the ladies room!” And she strolled off.

Ashley tried her best to look dejected, fidgeting with her hands, and picking up a glass of wine from the table, darting her gaze left and right as she sipped into it, impatiently. She could only wait thirty seconds before darting towards the ladies room, as cool as she could make it.

Miranda _was_ powdering her nose at the sinks, but smiled at her as she entered. Miranda turned towards her, giving her permission to walk up to her and press their bodies together. They started kissing.  
“I love your taste,” Ashley sighed into her lips. Miranda held the kiss for a few more seconds before reluctantly pushing her away. Her eyes were bright and she licked her lips.  
“Not here,” she whispered, her hand resting on Ashley’s shoulder. Ashley grinned, holding her by the waist and with a smooth move she spun her in a half-circle and waltzed her into the closest stall, already kissing her neck as she closed the door behind them.

Miranda’s hands were on the nape of her neck, slender fingers digging into her pinned up hair, while Ashley was tasting her smooth, perfumed neck from behind her ear to her shoulder. She smelled heavenly. For some reason she could worship her shoulder for long-long minutes. Miranda was letting out small, excited sighs, her breath tickling Ashley’s ear.

Then they were back at kissing, Miranda still holding her head, Ashley grabbing her waist with one hand, and her shoulder with the other. Miranda’s lips tasted even better. She was drinking in her silky touch, getting a tingling sensation. Miranda moaned back into her mouth, tongues twirling around each other. The plan to stay quiet was never gonna work.

After what seemed like hours, Ashley slipped her hands down to her waist and one hand found the cut of the skirt down her right thigh, where she could touch smooth, firm skin, reaching for her ass. Miranda giggled into their kiss and held onto Ashley’s neck, wiggling her hip for easier access.

Ashley started to gather the skirt up to her hips, taking her time, crumpling the fabric into her fist, then slipping it up her waist.  
“What are you— Oh!” Miranda gasped as Ashley quickly kissed her way down to her modest cleavage before crouching down, revealing Miranda’s flat belly. “Ash, stop it! Bad girl!” she chided then went a very soft and long “Aaahhh—” when Ashley sucked in the skin just above her simple, white panties. From the squeezing on her shoulders Ashley could tell she hit the sweet spot: above her panties and below her navel was Miranda’s weak spot. She was actually like a cat in that sense. Rub her belly and she will purr.

Ashley was moaning into her quivering belly, showering her skin with wet kisses, while Miranda tried very hard not to gasp out loud, just panting irregularly, supporting herself on Ashley’s shoulder, pressing her back against the side of the stall.

When Ashley started to roll down her panties along her thighs using only her palms, Miranda squeaked.  
“You shouldn’t— Stop that—” she even hammered on her shoulder with her fists. She didn’t want to ruin Ashley’s uniform though, so she didn’t try that hard.

When she realized she couldn’t stop Ashley from pulling her panties down, she changed tactics. Resting her hands on Ashley’s hair, taking care not to ruffle it too much, she lifted a leg and slipped the panties off with a seductive move usually reserved for pole dancers, and gracefully put her leg on Ashley’s shoulder, her high heel poking her back.

Ashley looked up at Miranda with a hungry smirk, holding the skirt to her body. Miranda looked back down with an eager twinkle in her eyes.  
“Congratulations on your promotion, Major,” she purred. “Now start licking pussy!” she growled and pressed her head against her lap even as she pushed her hip forward.

Ashley blinked, hardly had enough time to take a breath before their lips met, her nose buried in the thin landing strip shave of her dark fur, and her soft, damp folds pressing against her mouth, parting already.  
But two could play that game, so Ashley, after a few initial smacks and rubs, opened her mouth and sucked in her flesh, her mouth clasping down around her clit, tongue twirling eagerly around her nub.  
Miranda gasped out loud, shuddering, grabbing Ashley’s shoulder harder. She gyrated her hips erratically against her mouth, biting down on her lip to avoid crying out again. Ashley looked up as she threw her head back, exposing her slender neck. It was a heavenly sight.

Then there was a noise, and the bathroom door opened. Two women walked in, chatting. Miranda stopped instantly, pressing her hand on Ashley’s head to stop her, looking down with pleading eyes and a deep blush. Ashley let her petals slip from her mouth, and pressed her cheek against her lap, her mouth brushing at her cleft. For once, she was not teasing her. They looked at each other with more than just restrained lust. It was more intimate than sex. Ashley felt her heart beating in her throat, Miranda’s taste in her mouth, even the rush of her blood and the warmth of her body. Miranda was looking down at her, and Ashley realized, she was stroking her hair.

The women chattered and washed up, refreshed their makeup, and left. They didn’t move for a few more minutes. Then Ashley started kissing her lap, just little pecks here and there, her gaze locked with Miranda’s. She slowly stood up, her hands still holding her hips, keeping her naked from waist down. They locked lips, this time with a little sigh, eyes closed. Then it was over.

Ashley left first, not saying a word, just looking at Miranda with something new in her eyes. She checked her hair in the mirror, straightened herself up and left the bathroom, Miranda following a few minutes later, looking perfect again.

A couple of minutes later the event photographer snapped that picture of them at a table. They posed, and Ashley smiled proudly, Miranda leaning closer. That was the time they realized that what they had was more than just fooling around. And only the two of them knew, that the other reason Ashley was smiling was because she slipped Miranda’s panties into her pocket when she left the stall, and the raven-haired agent spent the rest of the evening with a constant, faint blush on her cheeks.

* * * * *

Miranda stood under the shower, shivering from the cold water. She was allowed to clean herself so she would be ready for another evening of being used to get Liara and Shepard in the mood. She chose the cold water to chase away a headache.

When her head was clear enough, for a couple of hours after sleep, Miranda wondered if this was all a play, Bad Cop Liara and Good Cop Shepard, and if they put something in her food to break down her will and induce the migraines. The problem was, that her brain might see through the act, but her body was losing.

The initial fear for her safety was quickly gone, when she got over being a prisoner and think about it rationally. But then fear came back, shifted, split into different parts, haunting her thoughts. It started with fear from Liara, who, despite her apparent emotional immaturity, was smart, and being an asari, would have had the best chance to warp Miranda’s mind and entice her into compliance.

But Liara was not patient enough. She was greedy, she wanted Miranda for herself and pushed all the wrong buttons at the wrong time. It was weird for Miranda to find Liara repulsive and her fear shifted into physical apprehension. After the freakout, Liara gave her the silent treatment. In the past few days, she just bossed her around, dressing her up in very seductive underwear: garter belts complemented the constant thigh-highs, thongs, see-through bras, corset, once just two straps of leather that covered her nipples and sex but nothing else. 

She paraded her around in the canteen, chatting about nothing with the crew, while they leered at Miranda. The asari was smart enough to know that it was more humiliating for Miranda to wear these outfits, than it would have been if she was stark naked. The whippings were simply substituted with mean kicks when she was lying or kneeling, giving her several bruises.

And then there was Shepard. First, she was afraid of his physicality, especially when he took her for the first time. That was violation, simple rape. But during his “nightly visits” he always took her from behind, silent, in the dark. She still felt violated, but he wasn’t rough and didn’t intend to cause her pain. The fear was changing into mental anguish. It felt good for her body after a while and she could shuffle into a more comfortable position. She was already afraid she would start to enjoy it more. And then after the freakout— 

Shepard DID know how to push her buttons and when. She lost that battle when he kissed her belly. Oh, how she used to love it when Ashley touched her there! After a while, they made it a habit, Miranda lying in bed and Ashley resting her head on her belly with a sigh, after a hard day. They would lie there, preferably naked, Ashley stroking her belly, Miranda absently caressing her hair until they relaxed. And now, Shepard put his stain on that memory, too, one of the few she still dared to recall. She felt ashamed that she thought about Ashley less and less.

She was more afraid of Shepard now, sensing that he will soon succeed in using her body against her and break her will. She felt it was close.

She was shivering under the cold water, and when she looked up, he was standing in the doorway only in his shorts. Miranda lowered her hands from her hair, and crossed them over her chest, looking away from him. He didn’t leave her any privacy. When she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, he was already naked and stepping closer. And when he stopped at arm’s length from her, she cast her eyes down and before she even realized it, sank to her knees, thighs slightly parted, hands behind her back and looked up, opening her mouth.

She had a migraine and she didn’t want to go through all the ordeal of getting bullied into this position anyway. Better to get over it quickly, especially when she couldn’t avoid it. She told herself it was just common sense, that as long as she _knew_ she was doing it and didn’t _want_ to do it, she was still herself.

Shepard stepped forward, his cock slipping between her parted lips smoothly. He put one leg between her thighs, under her lap, his shin touching her midriff. He turned up the warm water and started to take a quick shower, while Miranda’s lips were moving up and down his hardening erection, filling her mouth with his warmth and his taste. Luckily, the water washed away her tears.

She clasped her hands together harder behind her back and moved her head back and forth, letting him push his hip, poking her tongue out to allow him to sink deeper. She was trying to breathe through her nose, but after a while it became harder with all the water rushing down at her face and her crying probably made her nose run, too.

She even started to choke and had to pull her head away, letting his cock slip out, catching her breath, waiting for the choking to pass. Shepard looked down and suddenly his eyes narrowed as she was trying hard not to reach forward and wipe her face off.  
“You’re nose is bleeding,” Shepard said and quickly closed off the water.  
Miranda’s heart started to race, even as she realized that it probably made her bleed faster. She already started to feel dizzy, and cupped her hand over her nose, blinking rapidly to clear her head.

The next thing she knew she was ushered across the deck, wrapped in towels, to the med bay, and they made her sit in a chair while she shivered. Dr. Michel stopped the bleeding until she could get her diagnostics tools up and wrapped more blankets around her. Miranda tried to look around but the light was too bright and all the arguing voices were becoming muffled. She probably passed out.

When she came about, she was lying on a bed, covered in fresh blankets. She was also cuffed to the bed. The other thing she noticed was that her head did not hurt at all. No dull throbbing, buzzing, nothing. She turned her head to the side and noticed the quarian girl sitting at Dr. Michel’s desk, holding her collar and using some tools on it. Shepard and Dr. Michel were further away, talking quietly.

“What—”  
“Resonance episode”, the quarian replied sullenly. “The biotic dampening field misaligned and caused an interference. That caused the headaches and the nose bleeding.”  
Miranda sighed, closing her eyes and opening it to look at the ceiling. So it was a mistake.  
“No,” the quarian replied. Miranda must have whispered it out loud. “I set it up right! Standard human frequencies! It must have received a strong biotic current, that messed up the settings.”

Miranda slowly turned towards the quarian again.  
“I’m not mad— Tali, is it?”  
“Yes.”  
“I’m sorry, Tali. Are you in trouble?”  
The quarian shrugged. Miranda looked at her, pondering. Now that she could actually think, she tried to understand more about the quarian. She seemed to be younger, than they thought.  
“I think it was Liara. She put her hands on my neck once and did charge her biotics.”  
“I know” Tali snorted. “I’m not stupid. The readouts are obvious.”  
“Of course.”  
“I’m not stupid, you know,” Tali repeated, sounding indignant. Miranda blinked at her confused. She already said that. “I found your tracker in the energy module we took from your ship.”  
Miranda’s eyes opened wide. She took a quick look at Shepard, who was still talking to the doctor. That tracker was Plan B, in case Shepard managed to get away with the bait. They could have followed the Normandy through the relays with it.  
“Uh—”  
“Don’t worry, I didn’t tell them.”  
“Why?”  
Another shrug. Tali was still fidgeting with the collar. “Because I found it and switched it off. And the module is working.”  
“That was... nice of you, Tali. You saved me from some trouble.”  
The quarian girl snorted again. “Yeah, right. Like your nosebleed?”  
Miranda closed her eyes and sighed.  
“It was Liara’s fault.”  
Tali made a face behind the mask. Probably a smirk.  
“Damn right!”  
So the quarian didn’t like the asari. That’s useful.

“Listen—”  
She couldn’t finish, because Shepard and Dr. Michel stepped up next to them.  
“So?”, Shepard asked.  
“It’s fixed, Shepard. It received an overcharge and got misaligned. It should be fine.”  
Shepard smiled and put a hand on Tali’s shoulder, reaching for the collar. The quarian visibly relaxed and gave it to him. _What kind of power did Shepard have over these young girls?_ , Miranda mused. Tali seemed to be generally miserable and yet, as soon as he says some kind words, she’s happy.  
“Thank you, Tali. Great job.”

Tali’s glowing eyes flickered behind the mask, probably the quarian equivalent of blushing. Miranda kept her eyes on her while Shepard walked around her bed. She had no intention of guilt-tripping Tali, but as Shepard ordered Miranda to lift her head and clicked the collar back in place, she looked at Tali and the quarian looked away.  
“Now, will this be okay, Tali?” Shepard asked in a paternal, but friendly tone. “Or will she get headaches again?”  
“Y-yes, Shepard, sure. It will be okay.”  
“No more problems?”  
“No more problems.”  
Miranda watched the quarian curiously. Why was she taking the blame?

“She should rest for at least a day,” Dr. Michel said to Shepard as he uncuffed Miranda from the bed. “I can give her some sleeping pills.”  
Miranda sat up, crumpling the blanket in front of her. The collar felt cold around her neck. She looked at the doctor. Based on her bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils, the doctor was using some of her own medication. She seemed to be constantly deflated, like carrying some invisible burden on her shoulders.  
“Yes, thank you,” Miranda whispered but Shepard shook his head, gently starting to tug the blanket away from her. Miranda glanced at him from the corner of her eyes, but she didn’t dare to move. She reluctantly let him pull the blanket away and shivered as she sat naked on the bed.

“Not necessary, doctor.” Shepard placed a hand on Miranda’s shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze. Miranda stood up, covering her sex with her hands, looking away from all of them. “She will be fine.”  
He squeezed her shoulder again and Miranda closed her eyes for a second, pressing her lips together. She hoped she wouldn’t have to do this. She lowered herself onto her knees, staring straight ahead.  
“See? Fine.” Shepard gave a little pat to her head. “Now thank Tali for her help.” His voice was still pleasant, no hint of menace or mockery. He really expected her to behave without any threats or problems.

Miranda clenched her jaw. She felt she could scream. There were always new lows they could make her sink to. She almost got used to being ordered around in front of the crew, who leered at her and thought about how they would fuck her, but Tali and Dr. Michel were both women, who were among the few people on the ship who didn’t want to do anything to her.  
She kneeled up and hugged Tali’s legs and looked up at the shocked quarian.

“Thank you, Tali,” she said quietly. She actually meant it. Tali on the other hand was freaking out and nervously pushed away from her embrace, crashing into Dr. Michel’s desk. Shepard chuckled.  
“It’s okay, Tali. Don’t be nervous.”  
“I— No problem. Uh. I need to go back to engineering,” the poor thing stammered and backed out of the med bay, staring at Miranda, who looked at her with an apologetic gaze. She didn’t know if it helped or not.

She had to thank Dr. Michel the same way, who was so embarrassed, she actually patted her on the head, which just made it more humiliating for Miranda. Shepard was amused to no end and laughed louder. Dr. Michel seemed to be unhappy about this as well, but kept her mouth shut.

Shepard hooked a finger into the ring of her collar and gently pulled her up standing. As he lead her back to his quarters, amongst the cheers and hoots of the crew, Miranda caught a glimpse of Tali lurking on top of the stairs leading down to engineering, ducking her head back as soon as Miranda noticed her.

Maybe, just maybe she found an ally on this damned ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> picture inspiration: http://rastifan.deviantart.com/art/Miranda-And-Ashley-333357885  
> shower pic: http://rule34.xxx/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1234615


	7. Two Tales of Clandestine Meetings

Ashley and Kai Leng stepped out of the elevator on the busiest level of the Zakera Ward. It was as shady as it could get on the Citadel, somehow attracting the lowest citizens of the Council races.   
They wore civilian clothes, but didn’t try too hard to blend in. That would just make them more obvious. They went for the “off-duty C-Sec” vibe that didn’t draw attention but still gave them a wide enough berth.

Kai Leng turned out to be quite useful, if a little bit chatty, but she didn’t mind. She needed all the distractions she could get. And boy, could he be a distraction. He was lean and athletic, his movements were uncannily fluid and he always looked like he could pounce on anything at any second. They kept it professional, though. Ashley was too occupied to even entertain any possibility of temptation, and Leng was either aware of her relationship with Miranda or just respected her privacy too much to even flirt with her.

They approached the café where they were supposed to meet Lawson’s man. Ashley pulled the file the Alliance had of their contact as soon as she was given a name. It was an impressive dossier. Also, terribly dangerous in more than one way. She thought that even with Kai Leng’s skills, they were going to be evenly matched at the table.

“Didn’t I see you perform at the last Alliance Gala?” Ashley asked Kai Leng as they made their way through the crowd, just to have a little normal conversation before they get all official again. “You were doing some moves with a sword, right?”  
Kai Leng chuckled. “Ah, yes. It’s my hobby. Traditional martial arts.”  
“It’s a wicked looking hobby. Quite impressive. What was that anyway, a katana or something?”  
“No. Katana is japanese. I’m Chinese. It’s called a jian.” Kai Leng said with a resigned tone.  
“I’m sorry”, Ashley looked at him with a faint blush. “I didn’t want to offend.”  
Kai Leng frowned. It was not the first time she showed a human gesture in an otherwise irrelevant situation. He was used to N7 arrogance, but this marine seemed to be a genuine team player. He was pleasantly surprised.  
“No sweat. It’s a common mistake.”  
“I suppose you have to explain this every time. Must be a pain in the ass.”  
Kai Leng shrugged. “It is.”  
“Still. I liked it. Formidable stuff.” Ashley offered.   
“Thank you. Not very useful on a modern battlefield, though.” Kai Leng chuckled.  
Ashley snorted. “I guess not.”  
The N7 grinned. She deserved an anecdote. “There was one guy who wanted to introduce swordfighting into the N7 training at one point. Watched too many samurai vids.”  
Ashley rolled her eyes. “Oh boy, I know the type.”  
“Yeah. He actually wanted us to use katanas.”  
“Ouch.” Ashley offered in sympathy. “How did it go?”  
“As expected. Slow or useless in closed quarters. Limited movement in infantry combat.” Kai Leng snickered. “Those poor bastards in the first class, got shot to pieces in the first training simulations. When they tried to use biotics to jump closer, we were still much faster with pistols and knives. They never stood a chance.”  
Ashley grinned. She imagined how stupid it must have looked like. They reached the café still grinning at the story.

It was easy to spot their contacts, they managed to stand out even in this crowd.   
“My name is Ashley Williams.” She said stepping to the table. “This is Kai Leng. We’re here by Mr. Lawson’s arrangement.”  
The man looked them over.  
“Aye. Name’s Zaeed Massani.” He poke a thumb at the woman sitting next to him. “And this is my lovely assistant, Jack. Have a seat.”

They sat down, and Ashley tried very hard not to stare. Massani was a battle scarred, older, crude looking man with a very thick Earth English accent. He was a piece of work by himself, but the woman next to him just blew everybody out of the water. She was tattooed from head to... well, waist for sure, probably beyond that, too. All she wore on top was a leather strap thing that barely covered any of her skin. She had small, but round breasts, perky ones at that. She guessed even her nipples were tattooed.

Ashley failed miserably at staring. If Kai Leng was a temptation, even as a man, Jack was the devil herself. The exact opposite of Miranda, radiating raw, violent sexuality. Ashley felt she probably blushed. She tore her gaze away from her body and focused on the biotic amp she saw on the side of her head. It was custom made, very unique looking thing. The file on Massani did mention he had a biotic with him all the time, but the intel didn’t do justice to her. Ashley cleared her throat and turned towards the mercenary.

“Glad you could make it, Mr. Massani. Let’s talk details.”  
“Yeah. Seems, some fucking rich guy wants his pretty little rich daughter back from some evil pirates. So he hires me to help you hunt the prick down.”  
Ashley frowned. “Well, yes, you could put it that way.”  
“Whatever. Thing is, you’re fucking Alliance. So I wonder. How the fuck our little arrangement could possibly work, eh?”

Ashley leaned back in her chair as a waitress approached. They ordered drinks and until the waitress was out of earshot again, she looked at Jack again. She seemed to have a constant, amused smirk on her blood-red lips, sitting with one leg across Massani’s lap. She was looking at them, probably sizing them up as well. Ashley was wondering if the biotic’s gaze meant she wanted to fuck them or kill them. Or both. Not necessarily in that order.

“Officially it won’t work. The Alliance cannot be associated with, um, private contractors.” Ashley replied and leaned forward. “What exactly did Mr. Lawson tell you?”  
“He said you know who has the chick and help me get close enough to grab her. He is paying my expenses generously. Plus he has the Alliance involved. I’m guessing it’s someone big.”

Ashley grimaced. “You’re guessing right. We’re going after the Normandy.”  
That made Jack hiss in excitement. Maybe even set her purring as she sat up. The waitress brought their drinks, and they were silent until she left. Zaeed nodded.  
“Not surprised. But what’s your stake in this?” the mercenary asked, eyes narrowing.  
Ashley took a deep breath.  
“That... chick is one of my men. Her team was sent to capture Shepard and the Normandy, but they were betrayed.”  
“Sent by you, I reckon.”  
“Yes,” Ashley sighed. She won’t be making excuses for a merc.  
Massani frowned and tilted his head. “Still missing something. The Alliance usually negotiates a deal for their hostages. What’s different here?”  
“The crew were let go, the officers ransomed by family and corporations. Shepard kept her so I wouldn’t go after him. They benched me.”  
“Is that so?”

The mercenary leaned back, sipping his drink and he looked back and forth between Kai Leng and Ashley, no doubt calculating odds and angles. And money. Meanwhile the tattooed biotic eyed Kai Leng curiously, biting her lower lip. Apparently she chose him to eat/rape/murder first, while leaning back comfortably in her chair, lazily rubbing her leg across Massani’s lap. If Kai Leng reminded her of a tiger, Jack was more like a panther, lying lazily on a branch, before diving for your neck from above.

“So lemme get this straight. You two,” Zaeed pointed at Kai Leng and Ashley “are running an illegal rescue op with no fucking money. And you are lucky enough that rich daddy wants his girl back. So daddy pays _us_ to do _your_ dirty job. And you can offer me... what the fuck exactly?”  
Kai Leng, who by that time also sized up the biotic as a potential target and stored the information somewhere in his mind, leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table.  
“We can offer intel. Where to hit, when to hit, whom to hit. Get rid of his hinterland. And when it’s time to hit the Normandy, we will be there, too.” He explained calmly.

That seemed to please Jack and Massani was already recalculating his odds. He slowly smirked.  
“So. Two Alliance grunts and us against one of the most dangerous fucking pirate in the Terminus. How did you figure this would go?”  
Ashley shrugged. “We’ll deal with it when we get there. So far we have his operation mapped out, and know where to hit him where it hurts.”  
“As exciting as that sounds, I don’t have a death wish. Daddy can pay a shitload of money and there will still be the four of us against a seasoned crew. I don’t like my chances here.”

Ashley knew he was right. Even the best laid trap, even an N7, a veteran mercenary and the crazy biotic girlfriend, they still can’t cover much ground. But she had no other options, this was her chance. She had to make this work, but she can’t make it sound like she’s desperate. She could tell the mercenary was still suspicious. She was racking her brain for any ideas, going through everything she knew about the case.  
“Mr. Massani”, she began even as a thought was forming in her head. “I understand you used to be an, uh, entrepreneur before going solo, right?”

The mercenary frowned, his expression turning even more suspicious.  
“What the fuck do you mean?”  
“You founded the Blue Suns, is that right? With your— business partner, Vido Santiago.”  
“So fucking what?”  
Zaeed was steadily getting more and more impatient, tensing, and sitting up straight. Even Jack turned her attention from staring at Kai Leng to look at the mercenary in apprehension. She sat up, her face turning serious. The tension was getting higher around the table. Kai Leng discreetly nudged her knee, signaling her to back off. But it was too late for that anyway.  
“According to our intel, Mr. Santiago... well, there’s no other way of putting this... shot you in the head and took over your operation.”

Massani was already fuming, glaring at Ashley with a menacing gaze.  
“What the fuck is your problem? What are you getting at?”  
“... and he ceded leadership to a... batarian, I believe.”  
“I fucking suggest you drop the subject before I walk away and let the rich girl to rot in her own personal hell!” he was raising his voice gradually, the other patrons in the café noticing. Jack put a hand on Massani’s arm and stared at Ashley like she went mad. Kai Leng was leaning closer to her as well, whispering “take it easy”, into her ear.

Ashley glared back at the mercenary unflinching, her voice turning cold.  
“Shepard’s main suppliers are the Blue Suns.” She paused. “I can get you Santiago, Mr. Massani. I can put you within shooting distance of him. Shit, even spitting distance. I can get you your fucking Blue Suns back.”

It all went very quiet around the table. Jack was staring back and forth between Ashley and Massani with an incredulous look on her face. Kai Leng tried to keep a straight face, but his very quiet snort betrayed both surprise and amusement at her offer. It seemed to be infectious, because Jack’s lips twisted into a smirk.  
“Wow, this just got interesting,” she remarked.

Massani held Ashley’s gaze. It was like they were dueling silently, the mercenary trying to decide if Ashley was bluffing and she was holding her ground. The silence stretched on.  
“Well? Are you in or are you just wasting my fucking time?” Ashley hissed.

Massani’s gaze wavered for a second, and he narrowed his eyes at her. She won.  
“You are risking an awful lot by talking to me, Alliance. And getting that intel— What are you not telling me? Why go to all that trouble, just to bring down one fucking pirate? Who the fuck is this guy? Who the fuck is this rich chick?”

Ashley didn’t move, just shot a glance at Jack, then turned her attention back to the mercenary.   
“What are you willing to do to get back at Santiago?” She nodded towards the biotic. “But more importantly, what would you be willing to do to save her?” she asked back.  
“I’m so fucking in!” Jack blurted with a chuckle. This was promising to be even more fun than she imagined.

The rest of the meeting went smooth and fast. The tension evaporated in seconds and soon Kai Leng was ironing out details with the mercenary, talking shop like they were old comrades. Ashley didn’t trust her voice, so she mostly nodded, speaking only when absolutely necessary, in very short sentences, clasping her drink all the while. She held it together but just barely, all the pent-up tension threatening to spill out any second. Her legs were trembling.

Jack chimed in now and then, boasting about being the “best fucking biotic” they could find and assuring Kai Leng that an L2 was no problem. They were inclined to believe her. The biotic clung to Zaeed’s elbow, pressing her shoulder against the old man almost proudly, but her eyes always returned to Kai Leng with a curious glint.

After they sorted everything out, they stood, not shaking hands, just nodding, and parted ways. Ashley and Kai Leng started to walk back towards the elevators. She was looking straight ahead and marching down a street, Kai Leng trying to keep up.  
“Are they gone?” she croaked after a reasonable distance.   
“Yes, gone. Why?”  
Ashley strolled to a bench at the edge of a plaza and collapsed onto it, leaning forward, elbows on her knees, like she was about to throw up. She was gasping for air.  
“That was some pretty crazy stunt you pulled back there” Kai Leng chuckled.  
“Well. It worked” Ashley croaked. Her head was spinning. She needed to rest her forehead in her hands. She still couldn’t believe she pulled it off. “Wow.”  
“Yeah. It was close” Kai Leng looked back towards the café, then down at Ashley. “Are you okay?”  
“I’m gonna be. Just give me a couple of minutes” she mumbled.  
Kai Leng was shifting his weight from one leg to the other.  
“Listen, are you gonna be alright?”  
“Yea, sure. Why?”  
“Can I leave you here for a minute? I gotta go check on something.”  
Ashley sighed. “Sure, whatever. I’m fine.”  
“Uh-huh. Just wait here— Or I’ll catch up with you later, okay?” He sounded impatient.

Ashley nodded and moaned in confirmation. Kai Leng tapped her shoulder, muttered a thanks and took off.  
As soon as he was out of earshot, she let out a long, loud shout, releasing all the pent-up tension of the last few weeks. It felt good. She could even feel her strength returning. Looking up at the people passing by, who gave her strange stares, she could feel herself grinning.  
“I’m coming to get you,” she whispered.

* * *

Kai Leng picked up the trail easily, especially since there were clues all along the way. He grinned to himself. Not that he needed them, but the small anomalies led a nice trail and he soon noticed the distinctive, lean, tattooed figure, almost floating through the crowd. Jack strolled proudly next to the veteran merc, arm hooked into Massani’s elbow. She probably enjoyed the stares they got. Her ass swayed almost hypnotically and since her waist was bare, it was easy to imagine how those muscles continued to roll under the baggy pants. 

He stayed way back and followed them from a safe distance until he found out where they lived. He took a quick survey of the neighborhood and turned back where he came from and hurried to catch up with Williams. This was turning out to be a great day after all.

Kai Leng went back to the Zakera after a couple of hours, after the night cycle began and the streets started to get empty. He cased out the neighborhood for a while before walking into the apartment complex and only knocked when he was sure she was alone.

Jack opened the door and grinned almost immediately. She wore the same leather strap for a top and small, black panties. She _was_ tattooed everywhere. It was hard to tell that she was not completely naked. She held a bottle of beer in one hand.  
“About fucking time,” she smirked, looking him over and turned away to go into the kitchen. The black panties did little to cover her firm little ass.

Kai Leng grinned and walked in, the door closing behind him. He walked after the biotic into the kitchen, taking a quick look around the tiny, shabby apartment.   
“Beer?”  
“Sure.”  
Jack strolled to the fridge and dug out a bottle, showing off her curves in the process. When Kai Leng reached for the bottle, Jack pulled it away from him, grinning.  
“Nu-huh! Get rid of that fucking shirt first.”

He grinned, and complied with a shrug, pulling it off over his head. He was as ripped and lean as she expected, smooth, tight bunches of muscle. She gave the bottle to Kai Leng and drank from hers in the meantime, looking at him. It was quite an indecent way to drink from a bottle.  
“So, where’s Massani?”  
Jack shrugged, licking her lips. “Don’t worry about him.”  
That was good enough for him. They sized each other up quietly, watching, two predators circling each other, ready to pounce. Words would have been in the way of scouting. They drank their beer, eyes meeting for a few seconds, a smirk here, licking a lip there, gazes traveling up curves and, in the case of Jack, intricate patterns of ink over lean curves.

After a few minutes, when most of the beer was gone, Kai Leng pushed himself away from the wall, put the bottle on the table and reached out towards the biotic’s midriff to touch a tattoo.  
“So, what’s the story behind this one?” he asked, looking up into the woman’s hungry eyes.  
“Oh, shut the fuck up!” she snarled and the game was on.

Jack jumped, Kai Leng catched, grabbing thighs just below the ass as they wrapped tightly around his waist, her arms folding around the nape of his neck. Kissing involved a lot of snarls and biting, heavy panting as they seeked dominance. Kai Leng spun her around and slammed her against the wall, making her gasp eagerly. Their hands were all over, sliding on smooth, firm skin. The leather straps flew off. Something cracked on the wall and fell to the floor.

Kai Leng groped her ass, Jack squeezed his waist with her thighs, lap grinding against lap. She arched her back, pushing herself suddenly away from the wall. Kai Leng staggered backwards. He took the momentum and twisted his hip, both of them falling on the kitchen table with the predictable result of bottles crashing to the floor. Jack leaned back, splaying over the table, his hand slid up to cup her breast smoothly, looking down to marvel at the map of tattoos on her snaking torso, thumb and index finger pinching a hardening nipple and rolling it.

Jack snarled impatiently, her biotics flared again and he felt the ground shift under him, making him lose his balance. He smirked as he crashed against her chest and rolled off to her side, going for her other nipple with his mouth. Jack moaned as she felt her other nipple caressed, too. She twisted her hip and rolled on top of him, pressing her chest down into his hand and mouth. Several other objects rattled and fell to the ground. She bit into his neck, sucking and licking into his ear, while moaning in pleasure.

She grabbed his throat to push herself up, straddling his waist, and she slid her hands over his rippling abdomen to unbuckle his pants. He looked back at her with a smirk, giving her a shove with his hips to push her back. She slipped off the table with a giggle and yanked his pants down along with his underpants to reveal his hardening cock.

She went down on him almost instantly, her arms resting on his thigh. He hissed as she grabbed the base of his cock firmly and wrapped her lips around the tip, sucking on it hungrily, moaning into his flesh. He propped himself up on his elbows and watched as the tattooed biotic took him in her mouth, sliding her lips up and down his steadily hardening cock. Soon she looked up at him and held his gaze as she caressed him with her mouth and tongue, her eyes twinkling playfully.

She pulled her dark red lips off of him and let out a loud, wet sigh, flashing him a teasing grin. Working her left hand up and down his hardness, her right clawed his abs needily, her warm tongue twirling around his tip.

He let it go on for a minute more before he snarled, had enough of the teasing and slipped himself off the table, forcing Jack on her knees if she wanted to keep going on. She leaned back, gave a few more licks to his length, and then he felt her hands groping his ass. She started licking her way up, across his crotch, panting loud, her hot breath tickling his damp skin.

When she reached his navel, he grabbed her wrists and peeled her off of him, pulling her up. She snaked up with eyes closed, rubbing herself over his wet cock as she stood, then pulling away until only their hips met.

He took a quick grab under her ass and pulled her up even as he moved forward and by the time he pressed her against the wall, her hip was in level with his chest. She caught on quickly and snickering delightedly she started to put her legs over his shoulder, slipping up along the wall. He grabbed her ass firmly and dove for her smooth, hairless sex and pressed his mouth hard over her petals.

Jack giggled and snarled, throwing her head back, her lap against his face, her thighs gripping down hard around his head, both hands grabbing his hair. She moaned louder and louder as he worked his tongue between her damp folds, lapping up her taste, and working her flesh apart to get to the sweetest parts. Jack kept rubbing her sex against Kai Leng’s lips, riding hard. A small shelf gave up when Jacked slammed back against the wall and joined the debris on the kitchen floor.

Kai Leng was drinking in her taste greedily, her folds now swollen and drenching as he lapped up and down across her entrance, or licked circles around her clit. The next time Jack pushed her hip forward, his hands, kneading her ass until then, started to slide up, feeling up the firm little curves of her backside and he started lowering her down. His mouth nibbled at her torso all the way up, leaving a generous wet trail.

He lowered her, sliding her along his torso, her lap radiating heat. Their eyes met and locked as she reached his waist. She lowered her legs, he reached for his throbbing hardness and aligned it towards her center. Jack bit her lower lip, not breaking eye contact as his cock parted her folds and pressed against her. He pulled her down firmly and pushed his hip forward, feeling his cock sink into her warm flesh. She hissed, still biting her lip but grinning now, and she started gyrating her hips, taking him deeper.

“Oh, fuck, yeah,” Kai Leng growled, grabbing the back of her neck with one hand and started to rock his hip even as she moved on her own rhythm, holding onto his shoulders.  
“God, YES!” Jack moaned and the competition was on. He pumped into her in his own rhythm and she moved with it to delay him and rolled her hips in small circles to take control, to work his cock all over inside her, stretching her soaked walls.

He pushed, she pushed back, squeezed the breath out of him, he pounded her into the wall, then the counter, then the kitchen table again. Objects started floating and moving in accelerating orbit around them as Jack rode higher on the wave of pleasure, both of them gasping and groaning louder. The whole table slid back and forth on the floor. Gravity was behaving erratically in the rapidly deteriorating kitchen.

He rammed in deep, somehow on top again, hitting her deepest spots, her legs spread wide and above them to give him better access, her hands pressing against his chest and pushing back to meet his rhythm.

Finally she tensed up, throwing her head back, half-hanging off the table and screamed while she came, gripping Kai Leng tight with everything she got. He pumped her fast through her release and then suddenly yanked his cock out, and shot his load all along her heaving, sweaty torso in hot squirts, groaning long and deep.

They both let out long, satisfied moans, relaxing on the kitchen table while they caught their breath. Gravity resumed its normal operation and every item came to rest around them on all flat surfaces.  
“Well, this was a proper workout,” huffed Kai Leng, rolling on his back next to Jack.  
“Yeah, not bad for an Alliance boyscout,” Jack chuckled, reaching out with a hand to pat his wet, softening cock, her other hand tracing her skin around the wet blots of warm, sticky cum on her stomach.

She sat up slowly, leaned forward to lick their taste from his cock and gently pinched his skin between her teeth, giving him a tiny shake while growling and looking at him.

“I gotta take a shower.” She slipped off the kitchen table and gracefully avoiding the debris on the floor, started walking out. She turned back from the doorway and grinned at Kai Leng. “Close the door when you get the fuck out of here.”


	8. The Conflicts of Interests

Miranda was kneeling on the bed, sunk on her heels, thighs slightly parted. Her hands were cuffed behind her back, a blindfold over her eyes. She was left like this for a while now, after Shepard told her to take a shower and make herself presentable. He had her dressed up in exquisite thigh-highs, matching garter belt and a fine topless corset. It would have been flattering if she didn’t feel like a dress-up doll. She liked the view, though. Before the cuffs went around her wrist, she had a few seconds to run her hands through her torso as she admired her reflection.

When Shepard ordered her on the bed, she started to feel anxious and looked for clues to figure out what will happen next. When he put the blindfold on her, she started to blush and breathe heavier, fighting off the panic, that was slowly creeping in.  
“Relax” Shepard whispered in a low voice. “There will be no pain this time. I promise.”  
She shuddered, not really believing him. She darted her head left to right to listen to every little noise. She could hear him chuckle. His hand ran over her shoulders and arms, fondled her breasts a little and then patted her thighs. All his touches became unexpected, making her jumpy.  
“I’m going to leave for a while” Shepard explained, his voice close, breath warm on her ear. “Just don’t move. I’ll be watching,” he added in a mock warning tone.  
“W-what—” she started to ask in a trembling voice but he put a finger on her lips.  
“Behave.”  
And then she was alone.

For a while she tried to track time but it quickly became pointless. She tried some breathing exercises, anything that would prevent her from thinking. Eventually though, her mind started to wonder. Maybe Liara had enough and they wanted to sell her? They were going to show her off to potential buyers? Or already have one? No, there were better ways for that. Did they come up with some new, twisted game?

Then she became frustrated. She thought she was helpless until now, but this was something new. She couldn’t see, barely move, and she had no idea what to expect. She couldn’t even prepare mentally. She listened to every noise, turning her head left and right, but it didn’t help. First she was cold, then she started to sweat, wondering if they turned up the heat remotely or was it just the fact that she was immobile, or because she was starting to panic again and her increased heartbeat caused her body temperature to rise. She felt her skin becoming damp.

Then she realized she was whimpering. It scared her a little. She squirmed, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Her legs started to hurt. She licked her lips when she felt her mouth was going dry. Hours may have passed. She had no idea. There was probably a camera trained on her so Shepard could watch her from wherever he was. She tried to pull herself straight, not to show any more weakness.

Just when she started to feel dizzy, she heard the door hiss open, a very loud sound to her deprived senses. Someone was muttering, feet shuffled into the room. The door closed. And then an excited squeal and clapping of hands. Liara.  
“Shepard! This is so hot!” the asari gushed while Shepard chuckled.  
“Not so fast.” He warned as Liara whined from excitement. There was some moaning and chuckling.  
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

They probably groped each other, judging from the sounds Miranda could hear. It went on for a while. Clothes ruffled.  
“I think she’s ready now, doll,” Shepard purred and Miranda felt their weight on the bed. She turned her head left and right again to hear them as they approached, crawling to both sides of her.  
“She’s so pretty,” Liara sighed and touched Miranda’s cheek, that made her shudder.  
“It’s okay,” Shepard whispered soothingly. “Gently now, doll. Like I told you.”  
Miranda took deep breaths as the asari’s smooth, warm fingers traced her cheek and ran down her neck. After the long wait, Miranda was actually grateful for the sensation of touching. Another graceful hand joined the exploration, running down the other side of her neck and shoulder, towards her chest. She let out a small gasp.

Then there were hands everywhere, all their touches electric, making her twitch and shudder, making her breathe faster. The gentle, warm hands of Liara on her face and shoulder, then her soft lips on her neck, traveling in a beeline towards her parted lips, the firm touches of Shepard on her waist and her thigh. His soothing voice filling her ears as he whispered instructions to Liara.   
“Slowly... that’s right, there... very good... slowly... don’t bite... that’s it” it made Miranda’s head spin. Liara was also gasping and moaning in a more and more husky tone.

God, did Shepard know how to play Liara! The asari became a whole new creature, his voice taming her, directing her lust into just the right places. When she became too eager, a simple word would make Liara’s touch tremble and soften, and when her hand reached Miranda’s breast, she was already leaning into the touch with a soft sigh.

Two hands disappeared, as far as Miranda was still able to follow: Shepard’s firm hand still massaging her thigh and Liara’s slender fingers wrapping around her full, round breast, a finger brushing over her nipple. The gentle rocking motions suggested that Liara was probably reaching to massage him and his other hand probably worked Liara, somewhere.

Every whispered word made Liara moan louder.   
“Take it easy, very good,” as if he was using the asari as a tool to play with Miranda. She exhaled long, and then she felt Liara’s lips finding her mouth and she turned into the kiss, drinking in her taste, her whole body squirming. She felt the asari’s surprise, freezing for a second at her response, before letting out a happy sigh and sending her tongue to explore her prize.

Miranda felt she was going to fall, her senses overwhelmed with the treatment, losing her balance as Liara kissed her eagerly. Miranda let out a whimper, wishing her hands were free so she could hang onto something.

In the darkness under the blindfold she saw stars and fell, hoping she will never stop falling. It was a dizzying sensation and he realized they caught her, kept her hanging between heaven and earth, hands pressing into her back to keep her arched, her head falling even further back, exposing her neck. Kisses showered her skin, starting from her jawline, traveling down across her collar. She was moaning longer now, and cried out when she felt another set of lips clasping down on one nipple.

Shepard sucked her sensitive flesh into his mouth, his stubble tickling her skin until he pinched her nipple between teeth and started tugging. She tried to twist her torso to ease the tension and tried to fold her legs out from under her, when Liara’s kisses reached her other nipple and she lost it. She cried out, buckling her hip, and they all fell. The asari giggled as she pressed her face into her breast. Shepard slowly spread Miranda’s unfolded legs and firmly trapping her thigh under his knee, his hand slid up her soft skin and cupped her sex firmly, making her gasp again. The caress to her breasts alone almost sent her over the edge, making her voice falter, when she tried to say something. She couldn’t, the tingling sensation was too strong.

She felt Liara’s hand slide between her legs and Shepard let it gently slip under his. The lips stopped caressing Miranda’s breasts, making her whimper and squirm, unable to see and touch the others.  
“Easy, doll... nice and slow,” Shepard whispered and guided Liara’s fingers over Miranda’s damp folds, gently rubbing. Liara moaned, her voice muffled, probably from kissing Shepard.  
“Please—” Miranda moaned, her voice hoarse, breathing heavily. “Please...”

“Go ahead,” Shepard murmured, and then Liara’s lips touched hers. She kissed back, feeling the asari’s firm breast rub against her wet nipple, making both of them moan deeply into each other’s mouth. Miranda was so lost in the onslaught of pleasure she didn’t even realize how eager she was, kissing the asari. She didn’t even notice Liara’s tears of joy dripping on her cheek. 

“Gently, doll, nice and easy... feel it?” Shepard’s voice was close. Miranda felt the tender pressure of fingers on her petals as they were parted, fingertips massaging, making her whimper into Liara’s lips. “Like this. Follow this.” His voice was hypnotic.  
Liara was whimpering back and her lips took on the same rhythm as her guided fingers, caressing Miranda’s lips in perfect sync. Miranda felt like she was melting, relaxing, her body sinking into the pillows. She was approaching her release, circling her hip against the caressing fingers. Somewhere in the back of her mind she understood that just as Shepard was using Liara to play with her, he was also teaching the asari how to use _her_ toy and play with Miranda’s body. She was being reduced to an object of pleasure but she didn’t mind. She wanted more.

“Now, doll... see?” Shepard whispered and pressed Liara’s middle finger against her entrance. He caught the signal from Miranda’s body, when her hip was angled the right way, thighs parting more, when she was ready. She let out a long, deep sigh when she felt the finger slipping inside, which turned into a gasp when she realized his finger pressed in, too, intent on continuing Liara’s education even there.

“Uh, gawd, please,” she managed to moan, leaning her head back into the pillows. Liara was moaning with her, kissing her cheeks, her earlobes, her neck, their breasts rubbing together. The asari’s lap ground against her hip, their thighs tangled together, now both of Miranda’s legs trapped, spread open.

The release came suddenly and intensely, the two fingers moving in harmony inside her soft, wet sex. She tensed, started jerking, her voice caught in her throat, her muscles clenching down around the fingers erratically, flooding her lap with juices that made Liara gasp in surprise and excitement, and ground against her, panting heavily into Miranda’s ear. After she came down from her orgasm, the fingers slipped out, and while she was catching her breath, she heard wet noises above her.  
“I love you so much,” Liara whispered to Shepard.  
“I know, doll”, he chuckled. They forgot about Miranda for a while, their hands were resting on her body.

“Shepard— please,” whispered Miranda after a while, her hands getting numb in the cuffs. She felt a hand on her shoulder. She thought it was a caress, something to cool her off, but as she was turned to her side, she felt her lips touch something soft and warm. As soon as she tasted it, she opened her mouth and took it in, wrapping her lips around Shepard’s cock and started moving her head back and forth even as his hand dug into her hair and started to guide her movements. Liara was caressing her ass with one hand, and started to uncuff her, while kissing her shoulder and arm.

Miranda let out a relieved moan and as soon as her hand was free, she lifted it to touch Shepard’s thigh for support, bobbing her head steadily, taking in as much of his hardening meat as she could.  
Miranda felt Liara’s cheek pressing against her. The asari spooned Miranda, her breasts pressing against her back.  
“Very good. Good little girls,” Shepard purred. “These are my hot little bitches.”

Liara panted excitedly, and pressed her cheek harder against Miranda’s, earning her the chance to continue what Miranda started. They worked on him for a while, alternately sucking on his cock, Miranda’s head pressed lower to lick on his balls when not taking him in her mouth. There was a lot of moaning and panting, and the wet pops of lips as he pulled out, or the muffled gag when he pushed too deep. Bodies pressed into each other, hands gripped curves and Miranda completely lost her sense of direction.

The next thing she knew she was on her hands and knees, Liara lying under her, cupping one breast and pinching her nipple, her other hand stroking her burning cheek. She felt Shepard grip her ass, moaning delightedly, and she felt pressure between her legs. She automatically arched her back a little, leaning down to push her ass out, ready to take him in. He pushed into her sex effortlessly, sliding smoothly on her juices, burying himself inside her up to the hilt, his lap pressing against her ass, balls brushing against her clit.

Miranda let out a throaty, deep moan, barely able to take a breath at the end. It felt like he pushed to her very middle. Liara chose this moment to pull off her blindfold finally, which made her squint in the light. She saw a blurry blue mass in front of her, and had to blink several times until she could make out the asari maiden’s features. She didn’t dare to move, like a deer trapped in headlights, Shepard’s cock just filling her, unmoving.

Liara was cupping her cheek, her eyes full of tenderness. Miranda returned her gaze, trying to focus on her, made hard by Shepard’s slowly pulling out and pushing back in. She exhaled loud as she felt herself stretched again, trying to hold the asari’s gaze, but her eyes started rolling back and her hands buckled. She fell on Liara, who held her head in both hands and guided her into another kiss, while Shepard settled into a steady rhythm.

Miranda panted loud into Liara’s mouth, her body working on instincts at this point, reacting to the asari and Shepard, but unable to act on her own, her thoughts scattered, her mind dissolving into pleasure. She knew about her breasts rubbing up and down over Liara’s firm globes, she felt her touch on the back of her head, she felt the warm skin of Liara’s chest, where she rested her cheek, her breath washing over a smooth, blue shoulder.

Liara could almost read her thoughts without a meld. She reached out curiously, her eyes turning black, her biotics glowing. The dampening effect of the collar prevented her from reaching deep, she could just sense the human’s most basic thoughts and emotions, and she felt what Miranda felt, the sensation of a human pussy filled by Shepard’s hard cock. She easily inhibited the woman’s mind, since her consciousness was so basic, almost like an animal’s. Liara held onto it for a few seconds, until the meld broke, the collar interfering with it. Damn Tali and her clever gadgets! She felt she could have even suppressed Miranda’s mind and and make her a puppet. She gasped a couple of times as she fell back into her body, Miranda’s lust increasing her own desire.

Shepard in the meantime gripped Miranda’s waist hard with one hand, hypnotized by her bouncing, perfect ass rippling at his every thrust. He reached out with his other hand and grabbed a handful of hair and yanked her up hard. Miranda cried out, trying to straighten up, scrambling to push herself into the tug. She grabbed Liara’s breasts and gripped them for support as she arched her back, her head snapping up.

“Uh, fuck, yes” she found her voice. She started to meet Shepard’s thrusts, squeezing Liara’s delicious blue tits, her own breasts bouncing wildly, much to the delight of the asari under her. “Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me!” Miranda slurred, eyes closed, face lifted towards the ceiling, her hair tugged back. Shepard grabbed her throat with his other hand and pulled her up against his chest. Miranda’s hands slipped off from Liara’s breasts but she reached blindly and met Liara’s hands halfway. Their fingers entwined and the asari held onto her with wide eyes, watching mesmerized as her pet, so cold and unfriendly until now, melted away between them, and this creature of lust emerged.

Miranda squeezed her hands, hanging onto her even as Shepard pulled her up. He bent her head back over his shoulder, biting into her shoulder, while his other hand snaked around her waist and held her hip down, so she couldn’t push back. Miranda started to scream, thrashing, making her breasts bounce every which way and she came again, her juices dripping out onto Liara’s lap, her whole body shaking.

Shepard let go of her neck, letting out a hungry growl and just simply released her and she collapsed on top of Liara like a sack, mumbling thankyous, out of breath. Liara let out a shuddering sigh as their breasts pressed together and Miranda’s head came to a rest in the nook of her shoulder, her nose nuzzling against her skin, her lips brushing the curve of her neck.

“Ready, doll?” Shepard hissed, gripping those marvellous, pale buttcheeks and pulled out of Miranda with a wet pop, more warm juices trickling down onto Liara’s pussy.  
“Yes. Give it to me! Fuck me,” she sighed, her voice full of desire and wrapped her arms around Miranda for support. As Shepard rammed into her, she cried out, squeezing the human female in pleasure.

That squeeze woke Miranda up from her haze and she lazily wrapped her hands around Liara’s head, letting the asari’s chin rest on her shoulder, caressing her fringes, and kissing her neck and cheek sleepily, mumbling sweet nonsenses into her skin. She was half-conscious, as Liara’s body was rocked by Shepard’s eager thrusts. Liara whimpered and sobbed in relief and pleasure, Shepard’s cock grinding into her so hard and steady, and her pet finally loving her back. She came with tears of joy in her eyes.

The rest of the night was a blur, Miranda drifting into and out of pleasure. In her moments of clarity she remembered making out with Liara in various poses, her fingers sinking into the asari’s azure, or Shepard pleasuring them both; she remembered the taste of mixed juices as they cleaned up Shepard at least once, and she remembered her cheeks soaking wet from diving between Liara’s legs. Once she woke to the feeling of being fucked, smiling and moaning, rocking her hip to signal she was awake.

She let herself be handled like a doll, doing everything they made her to do. She begged them if they wanted to, thanked them when there were moments of calmness, returning kisses and caresses. She gave herself over to the sensations, enjoyed being toyed with, used or just fondled and she felt proud when they adored her back. It was the best sex she ever had, leaving her totally exhausted, and she was fine with it. She felt she could live like this, not caring about anything else.

She fell asleep between Shepard and the asari in a tangle of limbs and slept deep and long, relaxed, for the first time in weeks.

* * *

Miranda woke with a jolt, sucking in air like she was underwater for a long time, her chest rising, but the rest of her body reluctant to follow. She took a few deep breaths silently, trying to calm down and actually use her eyes. Blinking a few times she slowly became aware of her surroundings.

She was lying in bed. Somebody was lying next to her, naked, cuddling. An asari – Liara. She was slowly waking up. Shepard was not with them, but the bed was still warm next to Miranda, where he slept.

She tried to move. She could. Good, so she wasn’t tied down, just tired. No, not tired. Weak. She actually felt rested. More rested than any time lately. She felt Liara’s hand around her waist, her face nuzzled into the curve of her neck. Miranda still felt dizzy, having trouble sorting out what actually happened and what was only a dream. Ashley was nowhere around, so that part, thankfully was not real. Her hand slowly slid up to her neck. The collar was there.

She slowly reached down to her sex, cupping her mound carefully. She felt dampness, it was more sensitive than normal, but luckily, no pain or any damage. The corset was gone. Looking down she confirmed the tattoo was real. She let out a sigh, the pieces slowly coming together. She was now sure enough what was reality, and what was a dream. She felt relieved only for a few seconds, though. She had some crazy dreams, and compared to that, this may be better, but she was still lost.

Liara moaned softly against her and started to wake up, shifting in her position, her hand moving on her waist. Miranda felt a pleasant tingle at her touch, turning her head towards the asari as she opened her eyes.

“Hey,” Liara whispered with a smile and Miranda smiled back sadly.  
“Hey.”  
She felt content, the asari’s smile and soft caress just right, the previous weeks of rough treatment and repulsion almost forgotten. It simply felt good to experience Liara’s affection, like making up with her girlfriend after a long grudge; there is always a lingering guilt for a while. Liara leaned in for a good morning kiss and it felt good to return it.

There was water flushing and the shower was turned on. So Shepard was in the bathroom. The noise drag her back to her thoughts. Guilt. She realized she only felt a tiny pang of guilt because she enjoyed the wild sex they had last night when she shouldn’t have. She felt more guilty because she betrayed Ashley. Cheated on her not only with an asari, but with a man. With Shepard of all people.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered without realizing it, while still looking into Liara’s eyes.   
Finally they had her, she was ready. Even though she felt bad for being unfaithful to Ashley, she was looking forward to more fun with her— owners. She knew it was wrong, she knew it was irrational and not something she would have chosen to do, but she didn’t care. She wanted it, she wanted the taste, the feeling again. It was not something she could switch off or ignore. She listened to the rush of water coming from the shower and knew that as soon as Shepard came out, all these worries, the guilt will be gone. _She_ will be gone. These were the last minutes of Miranda Lawson, Alliance intelligence officer, Ashley Williams’ girlfriend and Shepard’s prisoner. As soon as Shepard walks out of the shower, she will crave for him and wish they would fuck her brains out again. Then she would become anything they wanted her to be.

Liara raised a curious eyebrow, cupping her cheek gently, smiling. “What are you sorry about, pet?”

Is this what happened to Liara, too, Miranda wondered. She saw vids of Dr. T’Soni, giving lectures on her prothean research. She was shy, naive, overly enthusiastic. Is this how she succumbed to Shepard’s charm? Deciding at one point that sex with him is the only thing that mattered? To let pleasure take over?

She felt her heart beat faster. She wanted Shepard to walk in and take her away from her old self. The last remnants of her consciousness dreaded that moment, though. Is she really this weak? Is she giving up? But she held on for so long... Isn’t that enough? Didn’t she fight them as long as she could? There is no shame in giving up against overwhelming odds. She was smart and strong, but she have been beaten fair and square.

She knew all about this from her training: the attrition, how to break down the will of a prisoner by punishment and humiliation and at the point of mental exhaustion, reconstruct a new personality with rewards. It was always theory for Miranda, never practice, and it didn’t feel more real now that it was happening to her. She might know what they did to her, but her instincts dismissed it and wanted the happiness, the satisfaction, the kisses and all the sex.

“I’m sorry, Liara,” she said it out loud, lifting her hand to the asari’s cheek and breathing a small kiss on her lips. It tasted heavenly. She did feel pity for Liara at that moment and with the kiss, Miranda resolved her from all the things she did to her. The asari was a victim, too. The woman and the maiden were the same, became sisters. Lovers.

“It’s all right, pet. You don’t need to feel sorry. I’m very proud of you. This is everything I wanted,” Liara confessed with a few gentle kisses. Guilt washed over Miranda. She took a deep breath. She had to end this. One way or another, if she had to give herself up, to make the tattoo on her abdomen true, she could at least give it a last shot. If she was lucky, she might get the asari mad at her. If only she could tip her over with her last strength and be done with it. To deny them total victory.

“No. I’m sorry,” she sighed, eyes closed. She was saying goodbye to Ashley, asking for her forgiveness. As she spoke, she opened her eyes and locked her gaze with the asari.  
“I’m sorry that he doesn’t love you, Liara.”  
Liara froze.  
“W-who? What?”  
“Shepard. I’m sorry. I wish he really loved you. I’m sorry he is using you like he uses me.” She spoke, letting the words come out before she could think it over. When she said it out loud, it slowly started to make sense to her as well.  
“Why do you say that? What are you—” Liara blinked, confused, her reverie broken.  
“He never got over Ashley, you know,” Miranda continued. She had to say these words out to make sense of them, and her eyes widened as she herself realized that this might actually be true. It seemed like some very rational part of her mind took over and used her mouth to speak. “He felt betrayed.”

Liara frowned, her hand pressing against Miranda’s cheek harder, her muscles tensing. Confusion and anger started to cloud her features. Miranda stroke the asari’s cheek gently as her confession poured out.  
“He thinks it’s my fault. That’s why he let you take me. So when he fucks me, he feels like he fucks Ashley. This is how he gets back to her. He is using me, yes, but you—” she swallowed hard, tears springing to her eyes. She leaned forward to kiss the asari even as she lay frozen, almost reeling from her lips. “You are just a distraction,” Miranda whispered as she pulled away to look into Liara’s eyes, one teardrop rolling down her cheek. “That’s why I’m sorry, Liara.”

She turned her body towards her, slipping one leg over her thigh to cling onto the curve of her blue hip with her knee. Their lap and their breasts touched, making her gasp. Miranda herself started to believe her words. She felt sorry for the asari, yes. But she also felt sorry for Ashley, the pain Shepard caused her even before he kidnapped Miranda, and she felt sorry for all the distress after that. She felt sorry for herself, the loss choking her. And as she felt she couldn’t hold back any more of the sorrow, she kissed Liara hard, letting go. She was finished. This was a goodbye kiss to Ashley, and a goodbye to her old life.

She felt Liara’s shock, her lips not responding, her confusion and surprise paralyzing her. She moaned into the blue lips and opened her mind, caressing the asari’s flushed cheek.

“Look and see,” she whispered into the kisses and Liara understood. Her eyes went black and she plunged into Miranda’s mind.

The collar was running a steady interference, making the visions erratic, out of focus, superficial. She couldn’t go deep enough to uncover whether Miranda was lying, or how much was actually true. She was so confused, she didn’t even stop to think and suspect if Miranda was playing her. On the level she was able to see, it was truth, and even Miranda seemed to believe it.

She saw how Ashley visited Miranda in her quarters at the Academy. She caught glimpses of their conversation, Ashley telling her that she thought Shepard was in love with Miranda. She felt inferior, because she was just a marine, while Miranda and Shepard were in higher leagues. Miranda laughed, telling Ashley she knew about him, but she was not interested. 

She comforted the cadet, telling her why she shouldn’t worry. Why Shepard didn’t have a chance with her. One thing led to an other. Liara saw how Shepard continued to pursue Miranda, how Ashley felt alienated, finding solace and comfort with Miranda, and how Shepard caught the two girls in an embrace after a party.

“But that’s not—” mumbled Liara into Miranda’s lips, breaking the meld for a second, blinking rapidly, the jumbled connection making her dizzy. She broke the kiss, squeezed Miranda’s head harder. “He loves me! You’re just our toy!” She gasped, but there was doubt in her voice. And anger. More and more anger.

Miranda licked her lips and shook her head slowly, blinking away tears. She desperately held onto Liara’s gaze, stroking her cheek soothingly. She wanted to save Liara from Shepard. She could take care of her. Or she could make the asari get rid of the competition. If she would be mad enough, with her biotics and the collar’s effect—

“He betrayed Ashley first. He wanted me. Now he has me,” Miranda whispered, her voice choking. She clung onto Liara with her leg and slipped her other hand to Liara’s other cheek and held her as she kissed her again. “I’m sorry, Liara.”

Liara opened the connection again. She saw how Shepard fucked Miranda many nights while she was asleep, how he took her at the foot of the bed, and how Miranda started to get used to it, how she snuggled her hip to make it easier for him, how the humiliation of fucked from behind on the floor became small sources of pleasure, how he whispered into her ear. Liara saw how he fucked her and made her cum after Liara stormed out, how she enjoyed Shepard’s cock driving her to orgasm, how he told the story of Liara’s seduction to her. How Miranda loved the way he ravaged her the previous night, how he knew where to touch her...

The meld broke. They were still kissing, but Liara was now boiling. Miranda held her head firmly, and the asari gripped hers with both hands. Her biotics flared and engulfed both of them, glowing steadily around Miranda’s head. To the casual outside observer it looked like they were in the throes of pleasure, Miranda’s body shaking, Liara’s thigh finding a grip and trapping her legs together.

Delicious, lean blue curves pressed against pale skin, the raven-haired woman spasming, her body thinned with the tension in her muscles, ass and waist tight and firm. Only inside her head it felt like a million needles and the currents over her body burned like lashes, flailing away her skin. She still held Liara’s kiss, eyes closed and in her head she screamed silently from the pain and relief. But mostly from the nerve-shredding pain.

* * *

When he finished showering, Shepard quickly dried himself and walked back into his quarters rubbing his short hair dry with the towel. He glanced at the bed, seeing Miranda and Liara in an embrace and he chuckled. He slipped into his shorts, threw the towel over his shoulder and walked up to the bed.

As soon as his attention focused on the bed, he realized something was wrong. The women’s pose was too tense, not really moving or rubbing each other, and the bluish glow of Liara’s biotics was wrong. It didn’t look like the way when she melded with someone in pleasure and anyway, asari biotics meddled with the collar’s calibration.

“Liara!” he shouted in warning, but the asari was too absorbed. He heard a weak whimper coming from Miranda, and it was definitely not a sound of pleasure. “Liara! Stop it!” He jumped on the bed. “STOP!” he roared, pulling the two women apart. The link broke, and Liara fell back, gasping for air. Miranda just rolled over, eyes closing and she let out a long, painful moan, trying to crawl away, crumpling the bedsheets as she curled into a whimpering ball.

“Jesus, doll! What were you thinking?!” Shepard chided, checking Miranda’s vitals before sitting back down on the bed, taking the asari’s hand. Liara covered her face with her other hand and yanked away from Shepard, sobbing.  
“Leave me alone!”  
“Liara!” His tone was that of an annoyed parent now. He threw a blanket over the shivering Miranda. He’ll deal with her later, after diffusing yet another temper tantrum.  
“Don’t give me that fucking tone!” Liara screamed, and sat up, pulling her legs up and scrambling away from Shepard.  
“Care to tell me what happened?” He asked a little impatient now, but he still controlled his voice.

Liara looked to her left at the balled up woman, eyes filled with tears, sniffing. She turned to look at Shepard with a painful expression.  
“Is this true?” She asked in a high-pitched voice.  
 _Shit!_ Shepard thought, trying not to wince. Was there a mind meld between them?  
“What is true, doll?” He tried in a calm, soothing voice. It rang false.  
“Don’t give me that shit!” Liara snarled, slamming a fist down into the pillows. “You know what I’m talking about! About them... about _you_!” She nodded towards Miranda with a hateful snarl.

“What did she do now, doll?” But more importantly, how much did she get from Miranda’s memories?  
“Stop calling me a doll! I’m not a fucking doll!” Liara screamed. She grabbed the raven black locks of hair visible between the blankets, and yanked Miranda’s head towards her. The woman rolled over with a weak hiss, flailing blindly to get some support and put her hands under her. She was still out of it, eyes barely open, blinking tears of pain from her eyes. “Is it true? Is it _all_ true?” The asari maiden repeated, shaking Miranda’s head.

Shepard lifted his hands in a soothing gesture.  
“Easy there. You don’t want to hurt her too much...”  
“The fuck I don’t!” Liara hissed, her free hand glowing blue already. “I’m gonna fry her brains out!”  
Shepard slid forward, trying to cool her off, reaching for her hand to get her to release Miranda. Liara snarled and pulled both of them away from him, Miranda falling across her legs. Her gaze seemed clearer, trying to focus on Shepard at great effort.

“She’s probably lying to you, d— Liara. She wants to tear us apart.” He ventured. It could be possible, although he doubted that Miranda received that level of mental training to withstand an asari mind-probing and plant false memories in her own head. Even N7 operatives were only able to mask their thoughts. He could keep Liara out of certain parts of his mind, but that was it. And Miranda was in no condition lately to be able to scheme this deliberately.

He still couldn’t tell if Miranda was playing her, or Liara figured things out on her own. He should have thought that the asari maiden could find out about his history with Ash and Miranda after their first meld. That’s why he came up with the no cheating rule and hoped that with the dampening effect it would be enough. He was wrong.

“Listen, Liara. It’s the past. What we have now is different... better...” He tried sounding a little bit hurt and regretful, with a pinch of pleading. “Don’t let her old memories confuse you...” Liara’s eyes narrowed. She wasn’t buying it. That last sentence was pushing her away. What the fuck did she see? Was she jealous because Miranda was responding so well to him? He calculated his chances. “Don’t let _her_ stand between us,” he added hopefully.

“Well, I won’t,” Liara replied sulkily and her biotics flared again. She pressed her palm to Miranda’s head and the woman started moaning, eyes closing.

“Liara!” He lost his patience now. He used his best chiding, angry parent tone as he leaned forward to stop her.  
“Fuck you!” The asari hissed and waved her hand at Shepard. The biotic discharge was sudden and intense, creating a shockwave in all directions. Shepard was thrown back, off the bed, across the small table and into the couch. Liara fell back, too, pulling Miranda with her.

Shepard rolled down onto the floor and slowly climbed to his feet, shaking his head. The sight on his bed was the most bizarre thing he ever saw. A naked asari knelt between crumpled blankets, bedsheets and pillows, the usually delicate features distorted by rage, looking like some mythological creature of rage. In her hands she held the limp body of a woman with pale skin and jet black hair, a sharp contrast to her attacker, half-buried in blankets.

Miranda’s face was blanked by pain, eyes closed, mouth opened wide in a silent scream, her naked breasts on display as she arched her back, frozen in a pose, hands clinging to the asari’s wrist, who held her by her hair. Blue energy streamed between the hands and engulfed Miranda’s head.

He fumbled around the couch, digging between discarded clothing.  
“LIARA!” Shepard roared, now very much sounding like an angry father catching his child red-handed. He clenched jaw and snarled, baring his teeth. “Stop it, NOW!”  
He pulled a pistol and raised it at the vision on his bed.

Something seemed to break in Liara at that moment. She still held Miranda half in front of her, her biotics glowing, but her expression changed from rage to despair.  
“You would shoot me— over _her_?!” Liara wailed, the corner of her lips turning downwards. She looked heartbroken.  
“Nobody kills anyone here!” Shepard growled in an irritated, deep voice. “Let her go.” He said quietly, then he added “Liara. Please.”

The asari closed her eyes, took a deep breath, still holding her prey in a biotic grip. When she opened her eyes, her gaze was clear. Shepard blinked. He haven’t seen this look, this lost, desperate gaze since...  
“This ends now,” Liara whispered, tugging up Miranda sharply, to lift her head closer so he could see the woman’s face as her biotics buzzed stronger. Miranda whimpered.  
“FUCK!” Shepard roared.  
There was a loud bang as the weapon fired, and then the hiss of the heat discharge seemed even louder. The bodies collapsed on the bed and the biotics flared out. And then there was quiet.


	9. The Dark Recesses of the Mind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: bloodplay/knifeplay; if you want to skip it, go to Chapter 10

Miranda felt like her brain was frying. There was a lot of heat, searing pain, her vision turning red until she couldn’t see at all. Sounds became muffled, everything distant. Her muscles contracted, her whole body froze.

Then she heard a small pop and it was over. Something wet sprayed on her and the pressure, the needles, the cramp was gone and she fell into the blankets like a ragdoll. Basic reflexes kicked in and even as she couldn’t stop moaning, she feebly crawled off the bed, dragging a blanket with her as she fell off on the other side. The floor was pleasantly cool. She’ll just rest here for a while.

Rough hands woke her, someone grabbed her arm roughly, and started dragging her. She held onto the blanket just in case. Her vision returned and the voices became louder, sharper. Also, the mother of all migraines was descending on her. There was a constant buzzing in the back of her mind.

Shepard was dragging her on the floor like a sack, talking to her, but she couldn’t make out the words. She felt wetness on her head and shoulders. The blanket was spotted with purple stains. The door hissed and she was unceremoniously dumped on the corridor. She pulled herself up against the wall, clutching the blanket in front of her. She realized she was naked, apart from the thigh-highs.

Her eyes darted around, trying to figure out who was around. Her vision was blurry, hard to keep her eyes open from the throbbing pain, but based on the shapes and movements, the corridor was empty so far. Not that she knew what to do—

Tali! She had to find Tali and ask her to make the pain go away like last time. She clung onto that thought and with her jaw clenched tight, she tried to stand. It didn’t quite work, so she half crawled, half slid along the wall, one hand grabbing the spotty blanket around her, the other sliding along the wall, clinging onto everything for support.

With a bewildered expression, staring half-blind around her, turning her head like a bird to see her way in her narrowed field of vision, she stumbled down the stairs towards engineering. There might have been crewmen in the early shift passing by and staring at her. Or maybe she imagined it.

She almost made it to the door to engineering before she collapsed on the floor. She just couldn’t keep her eye open. She crawled to the door and tapped on it with her palm. Some time later the door hissed open and a surprised quarian gasped at her visitor. She quickly crouched down and touched Miranda’s shoulder.  
“Can you hear me? What happened?”  
“Tali,” Miranda sighed, trying to claw at the collar. She didn’t even know how she must have looked, disheveled, ruffled hair, red eyes, wrapped in a blanket with someone’s blood on it. “Hurts—” she managed.

The quarian was quick to catch on. She took a quick look at the collar, checking the readouts on her omnitool and darted back behind the door. 

Tali returned with the same device she used in the medbay and attached it to the collar. She tapped her omnitool and the device. There was a shocking jolt that made Miranda jump and groan in pain and then a low humming and the human woman’s face began to relax.  
“Sorry. Had to reset the thing. I couldn’t take it off,” she explained.

Miranda started to breathe regularly, slow, deep breaths, eyes still closed but her whole body seemed to finally cool down, muscles relaxing. After a minute or so of quiet groans and sighs, she sat up, pulled her knees to her chin and sunk deeper into the blanket.  
“Thank you.” Miranda sighed and opened her eyes to look at Tali.  
The quarian girl lifted a hand up, partly to wave it off, but partly to keep her at bay. She was still unnerved by the last time she thanked her, and she didn’t want the incident repeating. Miranda couldn’t be bothered to notice.

“What happened?” Tali asked, poking at the blanket. “That’s asari blood—”  
“I-I think Shepard— I think he shot Liara.” Miranda muttered before resting her forehead on her knees.  
“Keelah! Is she—” she tried not to sound hopeful.  
“I don’t know. Maybe.” Miranda slowly shook her head. She looked up at Tali. “They argued over—”

“Would you look at that,” came a sarcastic voice from the side, a shadow looming over them. Both of them shivered and looked up. “It looks like, Tali caught a spy.”

“Kaidan!” Tali hissed, and jumped back a little.  
“It’s all right, Tali” Alenko growled. He sounded like he was woken up from his sleep, grumpy. “You did good.”  
“N-no, it’s—” she blabbered, visibly panicked but trying to explain nonetheless. “She just— Her collar needed adjusting. She didn’t do anything.”  
Kaidan looked down at them with cloudy eyes. Maybe he really just woke up. Miranda noticed Tali’s panic and looked up at Kaidan, trying to find out why was the quarian afraid.

“Because you caught her in time,” the biotic said soothingly, reaching down to pat Tali’s head. The quarian tried not to flinch away.  
“I— Liara was shot—” Miranda tried to explain.  
Kaidan just glared at her.  
“You can go now, Tali. I’ll take care of this,” he said quietly.  
Tali only hesitated for a second, shooting an apologetic glance at Miranda before standing up.  
“Of course,” she muttered and slunk away.  
Alenko waited until she was gone and even after that he just stood silently, looking down at Miranda. She tore her gaze away from his face and looked at the floor, trying to shrink smaller.

“Is this blood?” The biotic asked, poking the blanket with his shoe. “Asari blood,” he answered his own question. “Did you kill her?”  
Miranda’s eyes went wide and looked up at him.  
“N-no,” she replied shaking her head, immediately looking away.  
“We’ll see about that,” he grumbled and reached down to grab her arm and pull her up. She stood on wobbly feet, leaning against the wall, desperately looking around for help.

He started pulling her with him to a pile of crates stacked in one corner of the hangar bay, close to the requisition desk. There was a small bench here, too with tools scattered around. She looked around like a trapped deer, looking for signs of danger or ways to escape. He made her stand against the wall of crates, taking hold of her shoulders. She was clutching the blanket to her chest, shivering.

“So,” Alenko said in a slurry voice, rubbing her shoulders and moving his hands down along her arms. “I understand, you’re a spy.”  
She risked looking at him. His eyes looked sleepy, but she knew that stare. It was the same squinting that she was making whenever her headache was getting worse. She read about his condition in his file. L2 migraines.  
“N-no. I’m not a spy. Wasn’t spying.” She said, hopefully in a steady voice.  
He snorted.  
“Bullshit. You’re Alliance Intelligence.”  
She shook her head, her gaze darting back and forth between his face and the hangar bay.  
“Not any more,” she whispered.

Kaidan reached for her wrists resting between her breasts, where she clutched the blanket. He started to pull them away. Miranda resisted a little at first, but she was too exhausted and didn’t want to provoke any more punishments today. She did press her lips together and glared back at Kaidan, but not as strictly as she once could. The blanket slowly fell away, and he stretched her hands out straight and level with her shoulders.

“Yeah. Not any more.” The biotic remarked and pressed her arms against the crates. He looped her wrists into the harnesses holding the crates in place, the wide, plastic straps digging into her skin. With her hands stretched out, her chest pressed out prominently, the roundness of her perfectly sized breasts more obvious. The strain thinned her waist, her legs looked leaner and even more shapely in the delicate fabric of the thigh-highs. All this was seemingly lost on Kaidan. He looked her over, licking his lips, but he was not interested.

Miranda watched as he reached for the workbench and her eyes went wide when he picked up a knife and lifted it to her face.  
“Oh, god,” she whispered.

Alenko looked into her eyes over the tip of the blade, his dark gaze radiating pain and promising suffering. Miranda started to shiver, but not because of the cool air of the hangar bay. She stared at the blade and couldn’t tear her gaze away.  
“We’re gonna have a little chat. I ask, you answer, yes?”  
“Y-yes.”  
“Good.” The flat of the blade was pressed against her cheek and started to travel down her neck.

“Please,” Miranda whispered. “It’s not necessary. I’m just—”  
“Hush,” Alenko whispered, touching her lips. “Haven’t asked yet.” The blade reached her breast and rested on top of one of the lush curves. She was still staring at it.

The silence stretched on, and Miranda was shivering uncontrollably, her gaze darting between the blade on her breast and Kaidan’s dull expression, his gaze going in and out of focus, like he was having an inner conversation. His other hand absently slid down to her other breast and started fondling her.  
“Great body. Built for seduction... Did you?” He looked up at Miranda, who stared back with a bewildered gaze.  
“W-what?”  
“Seduce Shepard?”  
“N-no.”  
Kaidan snorted. “Sure.”  
Miranda shuddered. They had no idea how mental Alenko really was. She didn’t expect this. The cool touch of the blade reached her thighs, that made her flinch. He finished mapping out her body and he seemed to find his focus. He guided the knife along her arm.  
“Did you kill Liara?” He asked, looking into her eyes.  
“No.” She shook her head, trying to look at his face.

Kaidan grimaced and not even looking, slowly pulled the knife across her lower arm, cutting a thin, diagonal line into her skin, just enough to draw blood. Miranda jerked and clenched her teeth.  
“No, please. I didn’t—” she hissed.  
“Who sent you, huh?” Kaidan asked, nostrils flaring at the sight of the blood trickling down her arm.  
Miranda groaned desperately. She suspected that he won’t stop there, and her answers were not really going to matter. She had to try though.  
The biotic put the blade higher up her arm.

“Nobody! Please, you don’t have to do this—” her voice faltered as he cut her again. She whimpered, trying to pull away, tugging at her restraints. “Please!”  
“Then stop lying, bitch!” Alenko hissed. “How did you get on the ship?!”  
“I-uh, I was captured— aaah, please! Stop!” He made another sharp cut on her upper arm now. It burned, she felt warm blood trickling down her skin. She looked at her arm, shaking, struggling. The cuts were not deep, yet, they just hurt. The knife moved closer to her shoulder.

“Captured, huh? That’s it?” Kaidan smirked  
“Y-yes.”  
“So. Again. Who sent you?” He cut her arm faster this time, surprising her, making her cry out.  
“Ah! The Alliance! The Alliance! I was sent to capture Shepard!” she cried, staring at the bloody knife mesmerized. This didn’t make sense to her. Shepard already knew everything, Jacob ratted them out. There was no point in trying to torture her for information they already knew. But then again, Alenko seemed to be lost in his own world.

“See? Now we’re getting somewhere.” He purred, looking into her eyes. “Now just tell me, _who_ sent you?” He repeated the question, leaning closer. The tip of the knife pressed against her shoulder.  
“W-what?” Miranda blinked, confused. It was a mistake. The knife bit into her shoulder and dug down across her collarbone. She whined, closing her eyes, jerking away. “Uh- Me! It was my idea! Please, stop—”  
Kaidan shook his head in disappointment. He pressed the knife to her skin under the collarbone on the other side and cut her over her breast. It was still just superficial, but it burned more. She cried out this time, looking down, watching as drops of blood trickled along the curves of her chest.  
“Noble.” Alenko hissed. “Don’t cover for your superiors!”  
“Ash! Ashley Williams!” she blurted out between sobs.

Kaidan smirked, leaning back to admire his handiwork. It was mesmerizing to see the red cuts and the little trickles of dark, red blood highlighting the curves of her heaving breasts. The smell of blood and fear... He licked his lips slowly.  
“Now, that’s better.”

Miranda was getting dizzy, every breath a small hiss. She stared down at her chest and all she could think was _it’s okay, it’s okay, just scratches, nothing a little medigel won’t fix,_ which made her even more disgusted at herself. Alenko already got what he wanted from her. She ratted out her girlfriend and all she could think was her own body. It was over. She wanted it to be over, anyway. 

But Kaidan had other plans. 

“Nice tattoo.” Alenko snickered. “I like Liara’s sense of humour.” His free hand slid down to feel up her belly and trace the lines of the tattoo. Miranda tried to stay motionless and not pull away, looking at Kaidan’s face. “Quite the career.”

She almost said “fuck you”, but in the end just stared at him through a curtain of black hair. Another mistake. He took her glare as defiance and slashed across her belly. The most painful one so far, she felt it cut deeper. She threw her head back and gasped. Kaidan squinted at her, rubbing his temple with the knife in his hand, trying to chase away his headache.

“Please. You don’t have to— you can— you can use me,” she lifted her gaze and stared into Kaidan’s eyes. She wanted the pain to stop.

“I _can_?” Kaidan snorted. Like it was up to her. “Did Shepard set you up for this?” He asked suspiciously, looking around.  
Miranda let her head drop with a sigh. Kaidan was paranoid beyond belief. Once he confirmed one suspicion, he moved on to a new one.  
“Yes,” she whispered. There was another sharp pain across the side of her ribs, stopping under her breast. She moaned weakly. She was just glad she didn’t scream out so far.  
“What was that?!” Alenko snarled.  
“Shepard sent me! Yes! He sent me!”

“Lovely.” He sneered, stepping closer.   
Miranda rested the back of her head on the crates, looking away, lips pressed tight. Her cuts burned.   
A hand touched her sex. She jumped a little.  
“And why did he send you?”  
“For- uh, for you to... to use me,” she managed through clenched teeth. She forced herself to look into his eyes.  
It was not enough. She felt the cut over her hips, on her side, angling downwards towards her lap. She whimpered and slammed her head back against the crates.  
“Fuck! To fuck me!” she moaned.

Alenko snickered, two of his fingers running over her torso, drawing smeared patterns on her pale skin with her blood. It made her shiver in disgust, but he could feel the biotic’s hand tremble in excitement. It didn’t bode well, she thought. His words confirmed.  
“We’re getting there,” he breathed, licking his fingers and cupping her sex with it. She had to close her eyes. “Fucktoy.”

He drew another red line across her hip, making her whimper. “That’s what you are, yes?”  
“Y-yes,” she said and jumped when he cut her thigh. “Fucktoy! Yes!” she hissed. “Please—”  
“Please what?”  
“Uh, puh-lease... fuck me... aaah!” An other slash on her thighs. “Sir?” She added in a trembling voice. Her legs started to give in. She started to sink lower, arms stretching. She was shivering so bad now, she couldn’t keep her head still, but she kept looking straight ahead, holding her head up.  
“Because you are...?”  
“Ah, f-fucktoy...”  
“Aaaand?”  
“Aaah! I d-don’t know! Please!” Miranda hissed, squeezing her legs together, trapping his hand that groped her mound. He moved to her other thigh, making a diagonal cut across the front. Her eyelids started to feel heavy.  
“Beg.” He leaned close to her, “Repeat after me,” he growled and started whispering into her ear.  
“I-I’m the-the ship’s wh-whore,” she muttered, whining as he started to slowly cut her thigh again. She continued louder in a quivering voice. “P-please f-fuck... ahh, fuck me,” she exhaled, closing her eyes tight. “Use... my- my body to- to puh-please... god, please, aaah. To please you.”  
“Good girl,” Kaidan purred into her ear, and stood back. Miranda relaxed a bit, and made an effort to open her eyes. She needed to look him in the eye. She wanted to hold on as long as she could, even as she felt the building tension in her chest, her throat tightening. She was seconds away from breaking down and she knew once her tears really start flowing, she won’t be able to stop. Maybe she wanted him to feel guilt. Or pity.

False hope. He stared back at her with dark eyes, the toll of his migraine evident in the twitch of his eyes, his heavy eyelids. She had bad luck, she decided as she tried to focus on his features through her tears. Probably his meds wore off and they woke him up before he could take his morning dosage. 

It was her fault, really, she thought as she tried to keep standing and stop the damn shivering that made her teeth clatter. She shouldn’t have provoked Liara, even though the asari came really close to kill her in the bedroom, which was Miranda’s plan. Clearly, her fault, especially the backfire. She didn’t anticipate that. The conflict between Shepard and his lover. She missed most of it, but Shepard was forced to shoot, wasn’t he? It didn’t matter now. It was her fault, she was sure of it. She gave in.

She looked at Kaidan, trying to keep her eyes open. She was waiting for his next instructions. To deal out her punishment. Kaidan murmured something under his breath, head tilted, his eyes unfocused, lost in his thoughts again. He started to run his fingers across her wounds, almost gently as he continued to draw red patterns on her skin. She twitched involuntarily each time his fingers touched a cut.

She realized she has been whispering, repeating a mantra, almost like a prayer “I’m a fucktoy a whore please fuck me use my body to please you,” over and over again. She heard Kaidan breathing louder and heavier and suddenly she felt him grab the back of her thighs and lifted her legs off the ground. She sagged in her restraints for a second, making her whimper, but then she felt something warm and firm between her legs and it slowly pushed inside her. She exhaled slowly, her hip rising, the tension easing on her arms.

Kaidan’s lap was touching her thighs, as he slowly started to pump his hip, almost gently, his long strokes and his moans speaking of pleasure. She felt him fill her smoothly, her flesh wrapping around him painfully at first but quickly accommodating. She felt every single stroke, his bumps and the tip brushing her deepest places. She moaned involuntarily after each thrust. She was whispering thank yous, her eyes trained at him but unfocused, drifting off. 

He held her up, watched the sway of her blood-smeared breasts as he steadily thrust into her. It was the smell of blood that did it, and the way the red patterns textured her pale, smooth skin, making her curves more alive than when it was smooth, void of imperfections.

He came inside her with a shudder, slamming his forehead against the crates, over her shoulder as he caught his breath. Licking the coppery taste off of her skin, panting, he blindly reached for the knife. Time to finish this.

There was a hand on his wrist, stopping him from plunging the blade into her side. It was strong, almost breaking his arm.  
“That’s enough, brother,” Shepard whispered behind him, taking the knife from her. Kaidan blinked, the haze lifting from his mind. The pleasure chased away the migraine for a while, so now he could think clearly. He let her legs slip down onto the floor, but she had no strength left to stand. She whimpered as he pulled out of her with a soft, wet sound, sliding lower, held up only by her wrists tangled in the straps.

Kaidan staggered back and looked at his handiwork, like he saw it for the first time. He made a mess of the woman, apparently. His thoughts were just starting to align up and realized she was a person, she even seemed familiar. He blinked rapidly, rubbing his eyes. She looked gorgeous. At least she must have been, until he cut her up and dribbled symbols on her body with her own blood. She looked like a perversion now, some nightmare painting. Her head lowered, hair disheveled, arms stretched in a V now, legs buckled under her she looked like an angel turned into an abomination. Her delicate curves looked like pure sin now, with the symbol of Normandy prominent above her sex. Did he mangle her? As far as he could tell, he didn’t.

“Take your meds, Kaidan.” Shepard’s hand was on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly. Kaidan nodded and staggered back towards his cabinet.

There was something off with Shepard, though. He never got mad at him or argued with him, his calm voice always chased away his worst demons. But now, he actually had serious reason to do so. Still, he didn’t. He just stepped over, holding the girl in one arm until he freed her wrists, then lowering her to the floor. Her eyes were still open, staring into nothing, and she was still muttering thank yous as Shepard wrapped her in the bloody blanket.

Oh, yes, the blanket. Purple bloodstains.  
“Liara?” Kaidan croaked, while Shepard stood up, the girl collected in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder.  
Shepard shook his head slowly.  
“Gone.”  
Kaidan nodded curtly and stared dumbly as Shepard walked past him towards the elevator. He heard Miranda whispering “I’m sorry” over and over again.  
He stood there for a long minute, lost in his thoughts, fiddling with his medicine in his hand, the headache slowly creeping back in.  
“Miranda—” he whispered. That’s right! That was her name! He knew she was familiar. What the hell did he just do?! He shook his head, and growling in frustration he quickly swallowed down his pills.


	10. The High Seas of Hallex

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CONTENT WARNING: Drug abuse

The past few weeks left their mark on Ashley. With the strike teams, Jack and Zaeed in one, Kai Leng on his own, she was up at odd hours to talk to them and coordinate their moves all over the Terminus Systems. She kept track of their progress, the targets, the hits, the fallout, filtering intelligence news that Anderson snuck to her. She had to juggle dozens of balls and decide which targets to hit. And she couldn’t use the Alliance infrastructure to manage this all. They gradually made the Normandy and its captain more and more toxic. By the time Shepard would get wind that something was off, they would be already a couple of steps ahead of him.

She had long talks with Garrus whenever they could connect, exchanging info and a good deal of gossip. He was an invaluable advisor on possible targets, since he was dug in deep in Omega, staying in one place and hearing everything. He also started to occupy himself with harassing all three mercenary groups on the station just out of sheer boredom, bringing the groups on the verge of nervous breakdown. They started to call him Archangel or something. He suspected that sooner or later they will start a manhunt to bring him down, but he didn’t sound worried. He was amused, almost like he was having fun.

On her better days, Ashley was actually happy for Garrus. He sounded like he enjoyed himself, which was something he actually needed. When he was around Ashley, he was stoic at best. On worse days she started to doubt herself for letting him stay around her, when he was clearly better off alone.  
“Don’t be stupid, little sister,” he chided her when she confessed her concerns to him. “I’ll be there after this is over. You won’t get rid of me. Besides. Consider this as my vacation.”  
She smiled and they joked, and she felt better after his words of reassurance, but after their talks, the loneliness was almost unbearable.

There were days when she woke up to the sound of her own moaning. Her jaw hurt from the constant gritting of her teeth in her sleep. She was balled up in bed, a thin layer of sweat covering her like she had a fever, and she clutched the empty space next to her in the bed, where Miranda used to be. She could scream from the frustration sometimes. Mostly she allowed herself a couple of tears, some mild episodes of panic or rage. It didn’t make it easier for her, that she was actually doing Miranda’s job. Miranda was the one who could keep all these variables and data in her head and handle the flow of information. She was not just very, very good at it, but she was actually trained to do this. Ashley struggled with it immensely, but she kept going.

Ashley popped up at the gym in the weirdest hours for a quick workout. No human would step into the ring to spar with her, and even turians were beginning to get wary, when she unleashed her pent-up anger. Ash ventured to go up against krogan bodyguards a few times, but they always beat her up pretty neatly. That actually helped her, and the others in the gym could get a few days of nice and quiet, while her bruises faded. She worked better on those days.

Anderson started to worry that she might get off too much on getting beaten, and he actually suggested she consider seeing a grief counselor. Those dealt with people whose family members died in the line of duty. But Miranda was alive. She knew her grief came from not knowing what she was going through. Ash knew she exhibited the typical symptoms, but refused to go into therapy. It also shook her up and she cleaned up her act.

She lost weight, gained muscle and a stare that made krogan careful around her. It all started to settle into a routine, when she received an unexpected call in her apartment one evening. It was coming from Alliance HQ.  
“Commander Williams,” said a woman with a distinct British accent. “I’m Specialist Samantha Traynor from the Alliance Operations Centre.”

Oh, great, Ashley thought. Another blast from the past. As if meeting Henry Lawson was not awkward enough, now she gets a call from Miranda’s ex. It was getting tedious. She never actually met Traynor but Miranda told her that she was her first, and only girlfriend before Ashley. She had nothing against her, but Ash was in no shape for another sympathy call.

“What can I do for you, Traynor?” Ashley asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose.  
“Uh, I’m not sure, really. I am assigned to surveillance on the Normandy case and I received some data. Frankly, I am at a loss, and nobody around here seems to know or care about it.”  
Ashley was moderately interested. Traynor looked slightly embarrassed on the screen.  
“I’m not sure I can help. I am off the case.” She paused. “How did you find me anyway?”  
Traynor’s discomfort increased.

“I, uh, dug around the reports until I found your new posting. It took me some time.”  
Ashley nodded. It was not exactly a secret, but they kinda buried her in Alliance administration. She was supposed to be stuck in a desk job until she retires.  
“Why me?”  
Traynor hesitated.  
“I want to understand what I’m seeing. I need your help. And I want to help you.” She glared at Ashley through the screen, and Ash could tell that she won’t elaborate on that last part. She wanted to help Miranda, Ashley thought.  
“Fine,” she sighed, turning her full attention towards the comm. “Go ahead, Specialist.”

“You have to understand, Commander, this is an unofficial call—” she cleared her throat. “We received random bursts of data packets from several systems in the Terminus. As far as I could tell they either originate from a mass relay or an FTL jumping point. It was disguised with the post-jump discharges.”  
“What is so interesting about them?”  
She looked at Ashley again.  
“They arrived through encrypted channels using the frequency and encoding of the Strontium Mule operation.”

That got Ashley’s attention. She almost jumped, but kept her cool. She wanted to burst out the solution but she was curious to see how far Traynor got with the information.  
“Go on.”  
“I read the file on the operation. According to Mi— Operative Lawson’s description, the Strontium Mule was carrying an energy module, that was supposed to be the bait for the Normandy.”  
“Correct.”  
“The file says that as a secondary plan, the energy module was equipped with a tracker that would transmit the Normandy’s coordinates after every jump— In case the operation failed.”  
Ashley nodded. None of them spoke for a few seconds.  
“Yes. We assumed they found the tracker and disabled it, or simply didn’t use the energy module.” Ashley managed after she swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Yes. I read that in your report. The tracker was supposed to transmit on exactly the same frequency with the same encryption that we are receiving now. It cannot be a coincidence.”  
Ashley agreed, but it was not helping her without looking at the information.  
“You are not authorized to give me detailed info, Traynor. Even if you want to help, you are risking court martial.”  
Traynor nodded, looking around nervously, clearing her throat.  
“I just need confirmation, Commander.”

“What is your theory, Traynor?”  
“Um, nobody has any idea—”  
“I wasn’t asking their opinion. I want to hear your version, Traynor.” She tried not to sound too eager.  
Traynor hesitated.  
“I think somebody intentionally activated the tracker a few days ago. There might be someone on the ship who wants us to find them.”  
That was good news. It was also good to see an Alliance personnel use her skills and her brain to come to this conclusion.

“Any theories about the identity of this person?”  
“No,” Traynor said, but it was obvious that she was being careful. There might be others listening on the other side. “The data packet contains no useful information apart from the origin of the source. That’s why nobody here thinks it relevant.”  
“But you do.”  
Traynor shrugged. “I don’t have a theory about it. It is an anomaly.” The way she said it made it clear that it was not.  
“I see, Traynor. Thank you for the update.” She nodded to the other woman. “Anything else you can tell me?”

“Nothing else, Commander. It’s just quarian code fragments. I’m sure there is no hidden message in there.”  
That was all Ashley needed to know. This was very good news. She tried to contain herself.  
“Thank you, Specialist.” She struck a pose of authority as he continued. “You should know that my comm might be monitored by diplomatic security. You may get a call from my superiors asking about this conversation.”  
Traynor almost smiled, but mostly kept her features in check. She got the message.  
“I understand, Commander. And... good luck.” And then she closed the connection.

Ashley jumped up from her seat and started pacing around the living room. Quarian code. Yes, gibberish, so nobody would get suspicious on the Normandy. It could only be that quarian girl, Tali. She was on her pilgrimage when she met Shepard. She had to pull her file.

She also had to call Anderson. He would get the data. Ashley had to mention Traynor to him. She could be a valuable asset. If they had the exact movement of the Normandy, even after a couple of days’ delay, they could make their move. She had to call Garrus, too. She almost giggled with excitement. No mistakes now. It was time.

* * * * *

Shepard sat on the couch in his quarters, drink in his hand and watched the bed. It hadn’t been the same in the last few days, and the memories were painful, but at least there were no traces of what happened there. Well, except Miranda, who was stirring awake on the bed, coming off the painkillers Dr. Michel gave her. Spending three days in the medbay and with generous amounts of medigel and dermal regenerators, she was as much healed physically as it was possible. There would be no scars left in a couple of weeks, according to the doctor. As for Miranda’s apparent apathy, Dr. Michel just shrugged. That was not her area of expertise.

Miranda hardly spoke a word since her run-in with Kaidan. Alenko was avoiding everybody and Tali seemed to be shaken up, too. It was annoying that they were more upset by what happened to Miranda, than about Liara. The whole thing was awkward. The whole crew tiptoed around him. 

He came to the conclusion that he underestimated Liara and made a mistake somewhere. The way they wore down Miranda’s mental defenses, even with the dampening collar it was easy to see how Liara could dig up the memories after finally breaking in her pet. And all Miranda would tell when asked was that she was sorry, but nothing much else. Liara and Kaidan really jumbled the wires in her head. What a fucking mess!

Miranda slowly pushed herself into a sitting position, still groggy. She noticed him after a short while and immediately cast her eyes down. She was naked, but didn’t try to cover herself.  
“Good morning, Princess,” Shepard growled. Miranda stayed quiet, squirming a little bit between the bedsheets and waiting. “Come here.”

She slowly slipped off the bed and clumsily crawled to him and sat down on her knees in front of him. She seemed to be fully awake now, but she was staring off into space. It seemed the fire has gone out of her eyes. For some reason, this annoyed him. He pointed at a pill and a glass of water on the small table next to the couch.  
“Take that.”  
Miranda slowly reached for the pill, popped it into her mouth and swallowed it down with most of the water.  
“Look at me.”

She raised her eyes reluctantly, moistening her lips. A mixture of fear and regret reflected in her gaze.  
“It seems the clean methods didn’t quite work out with you, pet. I kinda hoped we could do this my way and have you like I wanted to.” Shepard sighed, lifting her chin up. “It cost me too much and now it got spoiled. Silly little Liara—” he sighed, shaking his head as he searched her face. “So we take the easy and more conventional method. That pill you took is called _Hallex_. Rare and expensive, but I have enough.”

Miranda listened quietly, and it looked like she was aware enough to understand his words. He was not sure anymore, what was going on in her head.  
“It heightens your senses and induces euphoria.” He paused. He might as well tell her the whole truth. Soon it won’t matter. “It will make you horny and you won’t care about anything. Powerful stuff.” He forced a smile on his face as he watched her reaction.

“I know. It’s cheating. It’s a shortcut, but frankly, I had enough of this fucking game. Don’t think you will take Liara’s place. You wish you did.” He snorted. “On the other hand, you won’t even know.”  
Her eyes flashed in fear, but not as sharp as before.  
“Please,” Miranda croaked, her voice still raspy. “You don’t have to— I’ll be good. I promise.”  
“I know you will.” Shepard snarled.  
“What do you want me to do?” She asked quietly, eyes teary. She still had enough wits about her not to continue begging.

“Nothing for now. Get back on the bed and show off your goods.” He waved her off. Miranda cast her eyes down and crawled back to the bed slowly. He moves were still uncertain, the previous medication’s lingering effect.

She laid down on her side, propping up on one elbow and struck such a classic pose without even trying to be enticing. He almost jumped her right then. He poured himself again, feeling the slight buzz of alcohol building. He wanted to be just drunk enough by the time the Hallex kicked in. He was in for a good show.

Silence stretched longer in Shepard’s cabin. He was sipping his drink and staring at Miranda intently. He had this whole speech prepared, but the view was distracting. Miranda reclined on her side, left leg slightly bent, her right stretching out over it, which made the transition from her shapely thigh to her curvy hip in just the perfect angle. It dropped off steeply into a sharp valley to her waist, while her inner thighs hinted at the delicate mounds of her sex, hidden shyly in the shadow between them. Her right arm was folded under her breasts, giving those luscious globes a delicate framing without hiding too much. Her shoulders parallel with the bed meant her neck was exposed enough so his gaze could follow the curve of her shoulder up to her neck. She was a classic vision that painters and photographers thrived to capture for centuries. And here she was, in his bed.

Only, something was missing. Her eyes were empty, and her poise spiritless, a shadow of the woman they captured just a couple of months ago.

He remembered, that back in their years at the Academy she was the object of desire for every cadet. Also, she was way out of everybody’s league. Probably that’s why every normal male wanted to get her in the sack. There were overnight discussions about those perfect breasts and that round ass and what they would do to them. Later he found out that her looks were no accident, that she was the result of her father’s twisted ideals, and he made her so perfect and smart that consequently she rebelled and ran away. His affair with Ashley was fun, she was tough and lean and a real wildcat, so he wasn’t interested in Miranda at the time. He was not immune to her physical charms either, but in the end he realized it wasn’t those soft, smooth shapes that caught his attention. 

It was her lips. Somehow those full, pink lips were the final touch, the crowning of the vision that was Miranda Lawson. With that mouth, smiling or laughing, it all made perfect sense. And those lips were the first one to signal the drug kicking in.

Miranda opened her mouth slightly, just to lick her lips, but she sucked in a long breath to steady herself. It looked delicious. Her breathing got heavier, and then came the flush of the cheeks, the slight motions of her head, muscles twitching. He saw her thighs tense, gently rubbing together, and then she tried to hide her face behind her dark locks. It all just made her building sensation more evident. The squirming increased and then there were quiet moans escaping her lips.

“Starting to feel it, huh?” Shepard smirked, shifting in his seat. His head was pleasantly buzzing, too.  
“Yes,” Miranda whispered, and her hand twitched, trying not to touch her breasts. Her nipples were already hardening and she started to very softly move her hip. Even though they were delicate, tiny movements, they just made it all the more evident, as if her curves were so perfect that the slightest change in their shape rippled through the air. 

“Getting hotter, isn’t it, bitch?” Shepard taunted.  
“Y-yes,” she sighed louder. Gently rolling dunes of pale, smooth skin were starting to shift and rearrange, the dark curtain of hair swaying in the wind of her breath, flashes of her lips visible for a few seconds. “Oh, god, mmm...”

Shepard chuckled. His crotch started to stir, his pants getting tighter. Oh, how sweet it was to see this snotty woman toned down a couple of notches. She was looking more and more like a bitch in heat, and she didn’t even care. It was delicious. He chuckled at the thought, and then a bit disappointedly thought how fun it would be if she were still aware of what she was doing. Oh, that shame would be even more sweeter.

As it was, she started to rub her breast with her hand at one point, swaying slowly, almost losing her balance. She grabbed the bed with her other hand and steadied herself, releasing a quiet groan. The sight of her slender fingers kneading her breast was making Shepard let out a loud sigh. He felt his lips go dry.

“Mmm, this feels good,” Miranda moaned in a husky voice, rolling onto her back, pulling one leg up and sliding her hand between her thighs. She started to rub her sex, gasping in pleasure, her delicious lips parting. Her other hand continued to massage her breast, pinching and pulling her nipple, her ripe breasts swaying gently.

Shepard chuckled, a permanent grin on his face as he put the glass down, one hand grabbing his crotch. Miranda slowly turned her head towards the sound, resting her chin on her shoulder and flashing a smoldering smile at him.  
“Like what you see?” She purred, moving her shoulders to rock her breasts.  
Shepard’s heart missed a beat, sitting up straighter for a second. Then he shook his head in amusement and chuckled at his own surprise.  
“Fuck, yes. Show me what you got.”  
Miranda smiled, looking at him with lazy eyes, her gaze sizing him up. Her hands never stopped stroking her breast and sex.

“Hmmm, ‘mkay,” She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, pushing her chest up, parting her legs and slowly arching her whole torso up, lifting her hip off the bed. She let out a long, lustful moan and fondled herself some more, putting on a very good show, her movements fluid as if she was moving to the tune of some music only she heard. She slowly lifted her head off the bed, too, and kneeled up, facing him, stroking her belly.  
“Like my tattoo?” she teased.

“Hell, yeah,” Shepard hissed.  
Miranda giggled, pushing her chest out, tits swaying, tilting her head down towards her jiggling globes and looked up at him, furrowing her brow.  
“Normally I don’t do this for guys,” she chattered, rubbing her sex and swaying her hips side to side with moves worthy of an asari stripper. She continued with a deep, lusty voice, smiling. “But I make an exception for you.”

Shepard watched mesmerized, looking at Miranda’s swaying curves. Her cheek was flushed and she was smiling. It reached her eyes, bright with the effect of the drug, pupils dilated. She looked like she enjoyed it, and she was lucid, but her whole behaviour was uncharacteristic. Was it just the drugs? He didn’t care. The booze already made him light-headed.  
“Well then, get over here and prove it.” He smirked, snapping his fingers and pointing at his feet. Miranda closed her eyes again, running her hands over her body up and down with a long sigh, and leaned forward onto her hands and knees, and locking her gaze with him, she crawled to his feet.

Her hands snaked up his legs, over his thighs, and grabbed his belt. Her ass was swaying even when she knelt, looking up at him expectantly.  
“What the fuck are you waiting for?”  
Miranda chuckled, and unbuckled his belt. She made a show of pulling off his pants, hands sliding up his naked legs and then grabbed his underpants. With visible excitement and a small gasp, he freed his half-erect member and hummed appreciatively, like she saw it for the first time.

“Wow, look at that, all ready...” She looked up at him, wrapped her warm hand around his cock, and started working it, leaning forward. She licked him all over, often checking if she was doing okay, looking up at his face. Her hot breath washed over his hardness, her sweet, soft lips opened wide, tongue poking out as he licked him over from his balls to the tip. She focused her eyes to her prize and giving a small lick to the swollen flesh, she dived in with a moan.

Shepard groaned as she went down, taking half of his length in one smooth move, moaning into his cock. He twitched and his hands flew to her head to guide her moves. It wasn’t necessary, though, as she started to bob her head and sucked him earnestly, those heavenly lips wrapped tightly around his cock. He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the sight and it took him a long while to realize that she was in control.  
“What the fuck,” he moaned in surprise as his arousal built up. He had to laugh at the eagerness of the woman between his legs. It was time to move on if he didn’t want to shoot his load in her mouth.

He grabbed her hair and yanked her off his cock. Miranda’s lips let go with a loud pop, those gorgeous, wet lips gaping open. She was panting heavily, eyes searching his face.  
“Enough for now, bitch,” he snarled. “Come and get it.”  
He pulled her up by her hair, and guided her onto his lap.

“Do you like calling me that?” Miranda purred, straddling him smoothly, warm, firm thighs pressing against his hips, ass rubbing on his thighs, her lap grinding against his wet cock, rubbing it between their bodies.  
“You have a problem with that?” Shepard smirked, giving a spank to her ass, that elicited a happy gasp from her.  
“Nuh-no,” she stuttered in pleasure as she moved her clit along the underside of his hard cock. “You can call me anything you want.”

She was rocking her body on him, hands gently slipping to his shoulders for support. She closed her eyes and circled her head, her breasts swaying in front of his eyes.

“How about I call you Ashley, hmmm?” He asked with a chuckle, both hands groping her gorgeous ass now, pushing his hip back against her lap. Miranda moaned, eyes half-closing, lost in pleasure.  
“Anything you want,” she repeated with a sigh.

This was almost too much for him. She didn’t even flinch at the name as she snaked her body on top of him, working her lap more and more over his hardness. He moaned.  
“How about fucking me already?” She asked, squeezing his shoulders, lifting her hip.  
He snarled, wiggling his hip to move himself into position. She reached down between them to wrap her fingers around his wet cock and closing her eyes again, she guided him inside her with such smoothness, he almost missed when he entered her.

Her gasp betrayed the moment, though, and her muscles clenched around the tip of his cock. She buckled forward, leaning more on his shoulder and chest until she felt he was safely inside her. She put her hand back on his shoulder and started moving, taking him deeper with a throaty moan. “Fuck me.”

“Ah, fuck—” Shepard hissed as he felt her around him, those silky, soft walls caressing his length. He gripped her ass harder for support. He felt dizzy from the alcohol, but that pale, lean body bobbing on his cock made his head spin even more. And those breasts! “Fuck. Fuck it.” He mumbled. It was time to let go.

Miranda cried out when he dove between her breasts, his hand pressing against her back to hold her torso steady. It didn’t work of course, but it was enough so he could nibble her luscious globes greedily, sucking, biting, licking. Her hand slid around the back of his head to hold him in place.

Damn, he was almost in control for a few seconds! She was gasping louder and louder now, her long strokes up and down his throbbing cock getting faster, slamming herself down harder each time.  
“Fuck yes love your cock,” Miranda wheezed when she could catch her breath.

Shepard started pumping, his hip thrusting up every time she slid down, making her bounce up faster. He was growling into her curves, dampening her skin, licking her hard nipples eagerly, pink nubs poking out, inviting him to bite down.

It all became a blur of squirming, overheated bodies grinding against each other, hands grabbing for support, lips searching naked surfaces to lick and taste. Shepard squeezed her waist against his torso. Miranda rode him hard, face buried in his shoulder and she came with a muffled cry, thrashing wildly mumbling “gawd, yes” several times. Her spasming muscles massaged his soaked cock as he rode her orgasm and he exploded inside her soon after. Even after that, it took them a little while to stop, Miranda collapsing on top of him, panting hard into his neck, her breath tickling his wet skin.

Eventually she caught her breath and lazily pushed herself away, smiling. She slowly rocked her hip and Shepard suddenly found his cock slipped from her soaking sex, their juices trickling down onto the couch.  
“Mmm, this was great,” Miranda leaned back and twisted a bit to reach the bottle of booze on the small table, giving him a view of her lean midriff and chest. She drank from the bottle and lowered it with a shudder that set her breasts jiggling. “I needed that.”

Shepard took the bottle with a smirk and took a few gulps himself, feeling the alcohol burn his throat, all the way down to his stomach. He put the glass down and grabbed her waist.  
“And we’re not finished yet,” he growled, and stood, taking her with him and threw her on the bed.

Miranda squeaked, laughing in delight as she bounced and started squirming, crumpling the bedsheets, showing herself off to him. He felt his blood rush, breathing heavily, the alcohol heating him from the inside. He grabbed her thigh and roughly flipped her onto her belly, eliciting new yelps and giggles from her. She leaned down on her elbows, pushing her ass up and spreading her legs a bit, just like when he fucked her at the foot of the bed in the dark of the night. Only this time it was on the bed, everything in plain view and well lit, and she was eager, turning her head back to look up at him with a lustful gaze and a hungry smile.

“I like where this is going. Ahh—” she purred, gasping when she felt his palm pressing against her wet cleft, kneading her mound, spreading moisture along her mound and between her buttcheeks. She wiggled her hip, grinding her lap against his touch.

Shepard was already getting hard again, and fisted his cock to work up his erection. She reached back and caressed her ass teasingly, running her hand along the back of her thighs.  
“Are you going to give it to me already?” she panted, licking her lips again.

“You have no fucking idea,” Shepard smirked, and guided his wet cock between her legs and started rubbing his tip up and down along her swollen folds, teasing them open, sliding up to the valley between her buttcheeks and back down several times. The warm touch of her skin helped him harden, and made her moan long, closing her eyes and tilting her head back, arching her body more into his moves.

He gripped her rump with his free hand and squeezed, his grin widening as he pressed the tip against her tight ass and pushed his hip forward. She hissed in surprise, eyes widening as she looked back.  
“What—” she tried to object, but her protest was cut off when he forced his way deeper, making her gasp in shock. “Ow! Wait! I’ve never—” she whined, and tried to relax, gritting her teeth.  
“You will be,” He snarled, answering her unfinished sentence and slipped into her ass, making her tense up. She cried out in surprise and pain, trying to relax, squirming under his grasp, trying to pull away, but he leaned after her. “Just. Fucking. Relax.” He grunted.

Miranda whimpered and pressed her shoulders down into the bed, arching her back and spreading wider, trying to ease the discomfort, whining softly.  
“Uhh, just... go easy... ah, slower...” she sighed.

Shepard slowly sunk his cock past her sphincter muscles, feeling the squeeze loosen as he pushed deeper and she relaxed enough. Miranda was constantly moaning and grabbing the bed for support, crumpling the sheets in her fist. She held on for dear life as he slowly started to pump her, carefully at first, slow, short strokes that gradually started to increase in speed and length.  
“Ah, fuck, easy... ow! Careful! God, it’s good...” Miranda gasped, between thrusts, burying her head into the mattress. Shepard grabbed her ass with both hands, spreading them apart to see how his hardness stretched her and sunk into her body between those gorgeous, pale globes.

Shepard was grunting with every thrust, his head swimming, the alcohol and arousal wrapping him in a warm buzz. He bared his teeth as his grip tightened on Miranda’s ass and gradually losing control he started ramming her earnestly. She was constantly moaning under him, her hips buckling when he hit too hard, her voice pitching higher when in pain, sliding to a low, deep moan of pleasure when he pushed in just right. His balls spanked her swollen petals. She was breathing heavily now, pinned to the bed by his hard cock, only his moves rocked her body.

It took Shepard longer to reach the peak of his ecstasy, his pounding becoming more savage as he wanted to feel the release, his lap slamming into her ass louder, almost drowning out her cries and gasps, her round flesh rippling with every impact. In the end the view of her bouncing ass and the sight of his cock sinking deep, combined with her hoarse voice, the sight of her gaping, panting mouth drove him over the edge and exploded inside her again, shooting his hot seed deep. He spasmed and jerked as he finished, while she froze completely, pushing her ass out to him, whining quietly as he finished.

Shepard fell on top of her, panting heavily as Miranda whimpered, squirming to ease the pressure and slowly sank onto her belly, also flushed from the intense experience. She laid there unmoving, pinned down like an insect and waited until Shepard caught his breath. He slowly pulled out, while she tried to stay relaxed. 

After he did, with a little sigh, sliding off of her, she gasped quietly, the memory of him filling her still lingering. She curled into a ball, grimacing. Her hand reached down between her thighs to cup her middle, covering both, wet entrances.  
“Wow. That was— new,” she mumbled, her lips twitching into a little smile. “Definitely interesting.”  
Shepard chuckled.  
“Was it now?” He patted her hip as he rolled onto his back. He waited a few more minutes before giving a little spank to her ass. “Go, get a fucking shower.”

Miranda’s face brightened. She clumsily slipped to the edge of the bed, slowly standing on wobbly legs, giggling. “Oh, I can barely walk,” she said with a mock rebuke in her voice as she looked down at Shepard. “You greedy bastard,” she chided.

Shepard grinned up at her. This woman was definitely different, her eyes still bright from the little exercise and most probably from the drugs. There was none of the old Miranda behind those eyes, and even though he liked what he saw and how she reacted, it still felt like a hollow victory.  
“I’ll be right back,” Miranda purred with the promise of more entertainment, and then giggled as she staggered towards the shower with a slight limp.

Shepard put his hands behind his head and stared at the ceiling, listening to the sound of running water. Yes, she was just as good in bed as he imagined, and looked like she belonged there, writhing in lust, that ass, those breasts, the waist, that tight, flat belly, all swayed perfectly, and when her mouth was parted and moans were escaping those perfect lips, he could really feel he could get lost in her. He had to get her for himself.

Only, it felt like she owned him, letting him fuck her. It didn’t feel like victory at all, as if Miranda became invincible the more they tried to break her into submission. In the end it took one of the most powerful, illegal asari drugs to get her in line. But if he wanted to be honest with himself, it really felt like Miranda had won, she could not be broken by their charms...

Her behavior was a result of Liara’s biotic abuse and Kaidan’s depraved torture breaking her will and then the Hallex inducing false lust towards anyone, really. Unlike Liara, whose mind he could slowly bend to his will and shape her into what he wanted her to be. Liara’s affection was honest. It was true. And now she’s gone. He could swear that in the last moments of her life she actually reverted back to her old self. He lost her twice in the time it took him to notice the change in her eyes and pull the trigger. Everything was starting to unravel.

When Miranda returned from the shower, drying her hair with a towel, he was already half dressed, sitting shirtless on the couch. He prepared the stockings, garter, panties and bra on the bed, the ones Liara chose for Miranda to wear after they broke her in. Black, lacy, fine lingerie from the best stores of Illium. There was a pair of stiletto heels and a short chain leash next to them.

Miranda stopped at the foot of the bed, looking at the outfit with apprehension. She smiled, biting her lower lip as she realized the quality of the undergarments, already imagining herself in them. She even blushed a little bit, probably liking what she saw. She looked at Shepard with a warm gaze, striking a graceful pose, proud of her nudity as she dropped the towel on the floor.

“Would you like me to wear those?” She asked in a playful tone.  
“Yes,” he growled, a drink already in his hand. The effect of the alcohol was wearing off, the buzzing that suppressed his dark thoughts gone. He hated to be alone with those things in his mind. He was busy getting the numbness back.

Miranda’s smile widened. She seemed happy to dress up for him. It was almost love in her eyes. He almost snarled at the thought. Miranda made a show of dressing up, the way she put on the thigh-high stockings especially seductive, like she was already having sex. The rest she put on like a high-class concubine, with delicate, perfect moves and poses. Damn this woman! he growled to himself. She was sitting half-turned towards him when she finished. She looked into his eyes as she slowly picked up the leash, her blush returning with a timid smile. She lifted her head, exposing her neck to him, her breasts wrapped in a black bra, and slowly she attached the leash to her collar and let it dangle down across her cleavage. Her face was serious by the time she was done.

She stood with graceful moves and strolled up to him, swaying her hips.  
“And now? Do you still like what you see?” she cooed.

Shepard had to pour himself another shot and gulp it down rapidly, his gaze never leaving her even as he drank. He wanted to fuck her... no, he wanted to _rape_ her. He wanted to her to scream his name in pleasure. He wanted her to scream in pain. Fuck! It felt like his head would explode from the tension. He couldn’t handle this.  
“You look gorgeous,” he admitted, grudgingly. Miranda frowned. She expected more praise. “Now get out.”

Miranda blinked.  
“What?”  
“Get out.” Shepard waved.  
Miranda grimaced, putting her hands on her hip and striking another teasing pose. “And what am I supposed to do?”  
“I don’t know. Have fun. Whatever.”  
“Did I do something wrong?” She asked. There was no concern in her voice, and she didn’t seem to be scared. She seemed to be merely asking for feedback, sounding almost indignant. “Was it not fun enough? I can be even more fun, you know.” She explained. She slid closer, standing right in front of her and gyrated her hips, her fingertips tracing her tattoo. It looked like a jewel, the same shade as her panties, showing the way.

Shepard shook his head and flashed a tired smile. The alcohol started to make him number. She looked incredibly hot, and the way she wanted to sell herself to him made her look even more adorable, especially in that outfit. A fucking toy without a mind of her own. He almost felt sorry.  
“I have to sort stuff out, baby.”  
“Whatever,” Miranda shrugged. She started to turn away, flashing him her curvy ass, then stopped and turned back. “I should go out like _this_?” She motioned at herself, dangling the leash around a finger, still smiling.

Shepard frowned. He wanted her to get out, before he lost his head. She can’t win. On the other hand, that dangling leash was so damn inviting. He could probably get her to play along while the drugs lasted...  
“Tell you what,” he put the glass down, poured himself another shot and lifted the bottle with the pills in it. “Come back in a few hours and I’ll give you another one, hmmm?” He smirked at her.

He was going for mocking, but to his surprise, Miranda’s face lit up.  
“Oooh, good. Okay.” She purred, licking her lip in anticipation. “I can do that,” she added, convincing herself to leave Shepard’s quarters.  
“Now get the fuck out,” he waved at her dismissively.


	11. The Pirate Crew of the Normandy

Miranda stopped outside Shepard’s cabin, the doors hissing close behind her. She felt a bit lost, not exactly sure what was expected of her. She adjusted her hair with a shake of her head, sending her dark locks behind her shoulders. She took a deep breath, straightened up and decided to throw the leash over her shoulder, too.

She haven’t felt this good in ages. She was full of energy, even though the two rounds with Shepard were quite an exercise. Especially the last part. She brushed her hand over her ass, still feeling a little bit sore there. But once he pushed past her initial pain it was quite good, even if a bit strange.

Miranda shrugged at the memory. Not her preference, but whatever. She sighed, and took a few tentative steps forward, trying to get her bearings and decided to walk over to the common area to see if she could get some more booze. Or food. Food was okay, too. She made a mental note to remember to return to Shepard for more Hallex. It was very important.

She wandered into the mess hall area of the ship, that was luckily empty. She had no idea what was the time. Maybe it was the middle of the sleeping cycle. She shrugged, going into the kitchen area to fix herself something to drink. Something strong.

She was humming to herself as she dug around, a faint smile on her lips, and squirming a little, the memory of Shepard’s cock still lingering inside her.  
“What are you doing?!” came a voice behind her. She looked back over her shoulder to see Jacob standing at the tables. She knew she should be mad at him and be wary, but she couldn’t be bothered right now. She did shift her legs a little to strike a teasing pose, to give him an eyeful of her ass and back.  
“Hi,” she said, smiling back at him. “Where can a girl get a drink around here?”

Jacob frowned, and got closer, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Miranda shot her a glance from the corner of her eyes, trying to hide her smile. He was just too funny. She reached up into the top cupboards, pressing her belly against the counter, pushing her ass and chest out as she dug around.  
“Are you high?” Jacob asked searching her face.  
“Maybe,” Miranda shrugged. “Do you know where they keep the good stuff?”  
She feigned nonchalance, but she could tell Jacob was ogling. The man snorted, stepping behind her with a smirk.  
“Sure.” He looked around quickly and grabbed her ass with both hands, pinning her to the counter. Miranda hissed and bit her lip to stop herself from chuckling. That was easy. She grabbed the door she was opening above her head and pushed her hip back against his grip.  
“Hiding something there, hmm?” She teased, wiggling her hip. She felt his bulge rub across her cheeks. “Or you just like my outfit?”

Miranda looked back at him over her shoulder, catching the eagerness in his eyes, mistaking his glee with lust as he grabbed her panties and yanked it down.   
“Careful! That’s expensive stuff!” She chided, dropping her hands down to the counter and bent forward a bit to make her ass seem rounder. That worked, Jacob groaned and grabbed her ass again, needily.

She shifted a bit until the panties dropped to her ankles and stepped out of it to spread her legs a little. Jacob was busy fondling her ass as he fumbled to free his raging erection. He seemed just too eager to get between her legs.  
“Like what you see?” Miranda purred, determined to drive him crazy with her teasing. His thumb pressed into her flesh as he pulled at her cheek to get a better view and softly part her folds. There was a low groan coming from him in response and she felt his cock touch her folds, still swollen and sensitive from her romp with Shepard, and slightly damp. He rubbed his tip up and down to part her folds, making both of them moan.

And then he suddenly pushed in, sinking his cock halfway inside her with a heavy grunt.  
“OW! Easy there, tiger!” Miranda yelped and tensed up for a second before trying to relax her muscles, parting her legs a bit to get into a more comfortable pose. “What’s the.... uhhh, rush?” She gasped as he sunk in completely, slamming his hip against her ass and pressing her into the counter.

The first few thrusts were uncomfortable, she hissed in pain as she tried to ease the pressure until he lubed himself up and she could accommodate him. She reached back with one hand to push at his torso, trying to convince him to go easy. Jacob just grinned and started hammering into her, muttering something about finally nailing the dyke and giving firm spanks to her cheeks that left a burning, tingling sensation on her skin.

Once they settled into a rhythm she leaned into the moves, her gasps becoming more pleasurable as she imagined his black cock sinking between her pale mounds. She grabbed his shirt with one hand and held onto the counter, panting in heat.  
“Ooh, give it to me. Give me your hard cock!” she moaned. She wiggled her hip and let out more delighted gasps. She felt her breasts bouncing and rubbing against the counter, her nipples feeling like punching a hole through her bra while sending a constant surge of delight through her body. 

“Yes! Fuck me! Yes!” She cried, and it didn’t take him long to grab her breast with his other hand and squeezing and kneading her round globe, he held her steady as he impaled her rapidly. Her ragged gasps mixed with his lap slamming against her backside, his balls spanking her clit and she came spasming, her well lubricated walls quivering, leaking her juices, her muscles gripping and massaging his cock. Jacob suddenly yanked his hard cock out with a groan before she rode out her ecstasy, making her whine in lust and frustration. 

Jacob gave a sharp tug to Miranda’s hip and she got the message, sliding down to her knees and snaking around to face him. She gasped at the sight of his wet, black cock, wrapping her hand around it in a haze. She dreamily took his hardness into her mouth and started jacking him off, moaning as her lips wrapped around the tip, while she rubbed her wet pussy with her other hand to finish herself off. Jacob groaned and put his hands on her head, slowly rocking his hips.

When Miranda felt his cock swelling up and start to throb, she looked up at him and dove down on his hot member, taking it in as deep a she could, filling her mouth. Jacob jerked in surprise and shot his load down her throat with a dragged out moan, gripping her hair as he felt his knees go weak. He could have sworn Miranda’s eyes were smiling as she gulped his squirt down, and pulled off from his cock out with a loud pop and a sigh.  
“Mmmm, that was nice,” she purred, still stroking his wet, softening cock. She licked her lips slowly and turned her head to the side, resting her chin against her shoulder with a smile. “Looks like we had an audience.”

Jacob snapped his head to look in the same direction and saw three crewmembers standing at the entrance to the mess hall, eyes wide, mouth agape. He didn’t know how long they were standing there.  
“Shit!” he hissed, fumbling to put his cock away and glared at the men. “Don’t you have better things to do?!”  
Miranda chuckled. The crewmen pulled themselves together a bit and shrugged.

“We’re off-duty. Came to have breakfast.” He said, but his eyes were locked on the kneeling Miranda who smiled at them.  
Jacob frowned, pulling himself together, then looked down at her. A smirk slowly appeared on his face and he put a hand on her head, stroking her hair.  
“I see. Well, enjoy your treat, gentlemen.” He added with glee. Miranda didn’t quite understand why. She slowly stood up and leaned back against the counter.  
“Hello, boys.”

Jacob chuckled and started to saunter off, patting the crewman on the shoulder as he started to leave. “Have fun, guys.”  
The three men stepped closer. They were not sure if they could take advantage of the situation. The rules were clear before: the prisoner was exclusive to Shepard and Liara only. But a lot has changed in the last couple of days, since her death.

In the end, Miranda decided for them when she strolled to the dining table, high heels clicking on the floor, thin legs flowing and ass swaying playfully, within their reach. She sat on the edge of the table, putting one hand behind her on the table, leaning back a bit to push out her breast and slowly parting those mile long, pale legs wrapped in fine stockings. Her other hand stroked her tattoo with delicate fingers.  
“Do you need an order or something?” She smiled, tilting her head at them.

The crewmen stared at the vision for a long second, her black bra highlighting her full circles, the garter belt framing her lap, the tattoo pointing towards her thin, trimmed strip of pubic hair. Then they were on the move, approaching her from three different directions. She reached out for the man coming from the front and guided her down between her legs. She moaned deeply as he pressed his lips against her mound. The other two went for her breasts and groped them through the fine, silky fabric of the bra.

“Uh, that’s good,” Miranda moaned, closing her eyes and tilting her head back. She undid her bra with one smooth move and let the straps slid down her shoulders. It was quickly peeled away from her gorgeous breasts, liberating her lush globes from their prison, her nipples already standing erect.

Someone tugged at her leash, pulling her back and soon she was lying across the table, one man licking between her legs, another tilting her head back that hung off the edge of the table and prodded her lips with his cock. The third one started working her breasts, kneading the full globes and pinching her nipples. She was stimulated everywhere, her back arching upwards, forming a perfect bridge from her round ass to her shoulders. She moaned and squirmed in delight, her hands blindly trying to hold onto something, grabbing a hip and a head, pulling one cock into her mouth and pressing a head down on her breast.

She ground her hip as the tongue flicked her folds, wrapping her mouth around a hardening cock. She closed her eyes and let herself get lost in the intense sensation. Soon she felt a dick press against her pussy, burrowing into her wet flesh, and she moaned deep into the cock that filled her mouth. She felt her breasts rubbed and licked and two men pistoning into her from both ends. The electric touches on her breasts ran through her spine and when she felt teeth pinching her nipple and a cock ram deep inside her, her pussy spanked by a man’s lap, she came with a long cry and spasming around the cocks impaling her, lifting her legs into the air, resting them against a shoulder, trembling.

She felt her body shake as the man fucking her sped up, grinding through her orgasm, her pussy clenching his cock in silky, wet grip. He yanked out of her with a sudden jerk, making her gasp and she felt hot liquid splash onto her belly. The other dick pulled out of her mouth, her lips making a wet noise and a delighted sigh. Her breasts were still fondled greedily.  
“Ah, give it to me! Come on! More!” she sighed and she felt a very wet, slippery cock stuffed into her mouth. She tasted her own juices on it and she quickly started cleaning it, whimpering when her pussy was filled again.

The men were talking and laughing above her, but she couldn’t make out the words. Her blood was rushing in her ears, her constant moaning resonating in her skull and along the cock she was licking clean. She was already breathless, and felt the next wave of pleasure approaching. She felt a thickness traveling in and out between her legs, stuffing her deliciously, stretching her walls and charging her nerves up with pleasant tingles.

At one point another hard tip pressed between her lips, still dry and clean. She gripped the base of the long member, head upside down and she took him in, licking around the tip. The man grabbed her cheeks, fingers wrapping around the back of her head and he started humping her face, forcing his member into her throat. She was making gurgling noises as the hot, throbbing meat forced itself down, her throat bulging out.

Miranda was getting dizzy, the sensations intense, amplified by the drug, the rough treatment down her throat cutting off her air periodically but also turning her on even more. She just tensed and shook when the next orgasm hit her, unable to make a sound as her mouth was full, gagging and wheezing when her mouth freed up. She was panting loud when the man came on her face and chest, and she stretched, moaning in satisfaction.

She had no idea how long it went on, her vision got blurry after a while. Hands were all over her, more men came and groped, occasionally somebody threw her a towel to wipe her face or lap. The noises were getting louder.

After the next intense rush of pleasure, though, things quickly changed. She was on her hands and knees on the table, somebody pumping behind her and somebody just finishing in front of her. She was gripping the table, gasping for air, her back bent in a U-shape, making her ass impossibly round, and she shook from the pleasure.

But it felt wrong. She couldn’t stop shivering, she felt dizzy and nauseous, and she wanted to rest. Exhaustion quickly seeped in after the rush of the drug has left her system. There were cheers and loud voices around her, but she had trouble focusing. Someone was stroking her hair and calling her a whore. It didn’t feel right.

“Stop—” she croaked, trying to find her voice, and pull away from the hot, hard pumping. She felt sore, the cock sliding inside her making her uncomfortable. Strong hands were gripping her waist. Somebody kneeled in front of her, poking his half-erect dick in her face but she feebly pushed it away. “Please. I need—” 

Hands grabbed her hair roughly and pulled her onto the cock. Her groan became muffled in a musky, hairy lap. She lifted a hand to push him off, but her hand was slapped away. She was beginning to panic.

As she started to struggle, the voices rose, rough hands starting to grip her limbs when she tried to pull her hip away from the pumping cock. Her nausea was rising. She whimpered when they flipped her onto her back roughly. The touches were becoming greedier and she felt so exhausted, so tired... It seemed she couldn’t give enough to these men so that they would let her rest. She lost the track of time and she didn’t know how many men had their way with her.

The shouting increased around her, and the next one to grab her thighs and stab his cock between her sore folds was just too eager. Miranda whimpered and pressed her lips tight, blinking tears from her eyes. Someone slapped her on the face a couple of times to shock her back into attention and pried her lips open. She started gagging when a thick cock pushed into her mouth. She tasted herself on his meat, and some coppery taste, too. She made one last effort to free her hands, but it was no use.

She gasped for air to clear her head, but she was lost in a sea of bodies swirling around her. She barely knew where she was and where she could escape. Then the tugging started. She felt hands grip her hair, somebody else grabbed her wrists, and her knees. The voices became muffled as her blood pressure started to drop, everything swimming in red, unfocused. She realized they were arguing. Arguing over who comes next. The insistent tugging made her joints hurt, and the hair-pulling made her eyes water.

Somebody hit her. No. Somebody hit someone else who fell on her. She whimpered weakly as the grips loosened on her and she fell back onto the table, hitting her head. The man climbed off her, just in time so she could try to draw a much needed breath.

And then the fight broke out. She felt shell-shocked, her ear ringing, the voices distant. She tried to crawl out of harm’s way and managed to fall under the table, collecting a few bruises from the fall and somebody bumping into her. Miranda curled up into a ball, covering her head and sobbing from the intensity of the whole ordeal, while the brawl raged on above her.

“ENOUGH!” Shepard’s roar woke Miranda up. She must have passed out. The noises were quieting down. There was a lot of shuffling as the fighting crewmembers disengaged and started pulling themselves together. There was an eerie quiet. Nobody moved as Shepard walked to the mess hall without a word. He walked around without saying a word, surveying the mess. People shrank away as he made his round, stopping at the table. He bent down and looked under it. He mumbled something and found Miranda’s leash. He started to pull her out unceremoniously. She whimpered as she slid on the floor, choking from the collar.

Miranda clung to his leg and pulled herself up onto her knees, shivering, eyes cast down. Shepard wrapped the chain around his wrist and gathered her into his arms. She moaned when she saw blood smeared on her thighs and closed her eyes, going limp in his hold.  
“Nobody moves,” he snarled and took her to the medbay. Again.

Dr. Michel was sitting in her chair, eyes glazed over, tripping on one of her cocktails and stood up on unsteady legs when Shepard dumped Miranda on one of the beds. He glared at the doctor with disgust.  
“Clean her up,” he snarled and walked out.

Miranda didn’t move much and let the doctor wipe her off. Michel gave her some medigel so she could apply it to her sore spots while she fumbled to set up the diagnostics and do a quick sweep. 

“Take these,” she slurred, giving Miranda a few pills. “Hallex will leave you exhausted and lethargic. These help compensate.”

“Thanks,” Miranda whispered and took the meds, carefully sitting up. It didn’t hurt that much.  
“I can keep you here for observation,” Dr. Michel offered, as sort of an escape from the world outside the medbay. Miranda feebly shook her head.  
“I’ll be fine.”  
Dr. Michel shrugged. “No, you won’t. But I’ll keep some medigel and pills at hand for the next time.” And with that, she slumped back into her chair, trying to ignore her patient and started preparing bandages and iodine. Miranda decided she’ll take a few more minutes to regain her strength and let the meds do their work before she ventured out. Judging from the sounds coming from the outside, she should wait anyway.

Shepard wasn’t exactly shouting with the crew. He just delivered a brief speech full of threats and rules, then he proceeded to beat up the main culprits. When the noises stopped outside, she felt it was time for her to leave.

Miranda slid off the bed, whispered another thanks to Dr. Michel and limped to the door. As it slid open, a pretty bruised Jacob stood in front of her. Apparently, Shepard decided that he was the one that gave the wrong idea to the crew. Taylor gave her a murderous glare and shoved her out of the way as he stormed in.

Miranda staggered to the side, her heels clicking loudly in the silent hall. Keeping her gaze down she shrank as small as she could and staggered around the people still gathered there, and started collecting her panties and bra from the floor. She didn’t really know why she did it. She hissed and groaned quietly when she needed to bend down, her flesh stretching uncomfortably in a few places, her bruises darkening, and she had some trouble walking.

She clutched her garments to her chest and stopped to stand near Shepard, not once looking up.  
“Dismissed,” he snarled to the crew. Some of them followed Jacob to the medbay to get their wounds treated, the others went to their business.  
“Get inside,” he muttered to her and waved towards his cabin. She quickly obeyed and left him standing in the middle of the now empty mess hall.

Miranda was too exhausted to take a shower or clean up a bit. She kicked off her heels, fell on the bed, curled up between the blankets and fell asleep.

She woke again when Shepard fell onto the bed, making the mattress bounce. It was dark and she was very groggy from the meds Dr. Michel gave to her. She didn’t try to orient herself, or figure out what was happening. She let him flip her on her back, half asleep and barely noticed him climbing on her. She felt the pressure between her legs, against her sore sex, and felt the smell of strong alcohol on his breath. She gasped in pain when he entered her, feebly putting her hands on his arms.

She tried to focus her gaze on him, but he was a blur. She didn’t care. Every thrust sent a throbbing pain through her middle and made her groan, but at least he wasn’t rough. He was just drunk and he was just fucking her.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, staring into the dimness, not even trying to sort out her hallucinations from reality. “It’s okay,” she repeated as he leaned into her. She was trying to calm herself, to make the discomfort bearable, willing it to go away. “It’s okay,” she went on as he rapidly approached his release while she said her mantra, convincing herself that it’s not that bad, and didn’t even care that it gave him reassurance. She won’t remember it in a few minutes anyway, and he’ll probably sleep it off, too.  
“It’s okay,” Miranda mumbled, and after a while she believed it, too. It was a relief. Her consciousness receeded into the back of her mind and shut off, surrendering to him and to this new life. She fell asleep before he came.

* * *

Time lost meaning for Miranda after that. There was an irregular cycle of sleeping, sex and drifting on a drug induced ecstasy and withdrawal. At first, Shepard made her blow him before giving her another pill. Then came a high, when he could do anything to her, and he did, making her thank him before throwing her out, telling her to come back at the end of the night. It was probably night, because during the day cycle, she was too much of a distraction.

_“Unh, it’s, uh, okay. It’s fine,” she muttered as she grabbed the railing in the elevator with both hands, slightly bent forward, panting and gasping. She had to keep her head from hitting the wall each time Jacob thrust into her from behind. It became a habit of her to whisper to herself when she was uncomfortable. She breathed hard, and after a while Jacob’s fucking became more pleasant, even if rough. She could moan honestly, her voice and his huffing, and his lap spanking and sending ripples along her ass echoed in the elevator cabin._

There were a few more small quarrels, but mostly just shouting matches and shoving. The crew was wary and rules have been set. There was maybe a list or a lottery, or just a schedule, she had no idea. No more ganging up on her in the mess hall. There was a lot of resentment at first, and some blamed the incident on her whoring ways. She had to make up for it.

At first they led her by the leash to the crew quarters and she was passed from bed to bed, but that led to more arguments, and visits to the medbay which took her out of commission for a while until the medigel did its job, so they just kept her around the crew deck, in the mess hall.

_Vega grabbed her neck and she held onto his wrist with both hands to ease the pressure. She hissed with gritted teeth as he pulled her down onto his thick cock. She was in his lap, her back to him, his right hand at her throat his left hooked under her knees and he moved her up and down his shaft like some workout routine. This was the first and last time he took her ass. She was whining and shivering when he shot his load inside her and just groaned when he let her slide all the way down. He took her to the medbay after that._

During raids she was in lockdown in the small space behind the medbay, where Liara’s stuff was still thrown around. It became a more or less regular hideaway for her, where she could be alone after the Hallex wore off and she was whimpering and sobbing from the lows of the drug. Dr. Michel supplied her with some of her own stuff that took off the edge until she could get a new fix from Shepard.

_Adams was a creep. He dragged her down to engineering, tied her hands spread out along the consoles, kneeling on the floor and humped her mouth with his gnarly cock. She tried not to laugh, but it was hard when she was high. It’s not like he could gag her with that thing. She moaned into his hairy crotch while the bastard panted obscenities at her while trying to work something, the drive core bathing them in an eerie light. Tali was nowhere to be seen._

After a while, Shepard only touched her when she was not high. She was very docile and passive, but she moaned nonetheless and she came around his cock. On many days she crawled between his legs after she woke up and started to suck him off whenever she needed the next fix. It wasn’t hard to do. Shepard was in a whole different class when it came to handling her. The rest of the crew had no idea what to do with her even when she was high on Hallex. She was toying with them. 

But Shepard did just the right things at just the right times even when she was not high. His body was firm and smooth, his moves steady, his cock just the right proportions and he knew what to do with a girl like her. If only he would stop treating her so cold and heartless. She really felt that if he would take her like before, with passion and soul, she could really give herself to him and not feel so guilty. If he would forgive her for whatever she did, she could love him.

_She was sobbing in the public showers after a long night in the den they set up for her. They started referring to it as the brothel. The drugs wore off, Dr. Michel was passed out already and couldn’t give her the pills. She barely found the strength to make it to the showers. As she stood under the running hot water, she felt a soft touch on her shoulders. It was Kelly Chambers, her eyes sad and her touches gentle and caring. She started kissing her and she cried, even though she knew it was just the withdrawal. She let Kelly hold her and wash her, kissing and caressing and they ended up having slow, gentle sex in the steam-filled cabin in the middle of the night._

When the Normandy resupplied or laid low on a backwater world, one of the typical smuggler’s hideout with another crew, Shepard had her all cleaned up and dressed pretty, and had her on his side on a leash, when he negotiated with the other crew in the cargo bay. She had to kneel at his feet, a batarian and a turian glaring at her, while she stared out through the open cargo bay doors into pale green pastures at the foothills on some a planet. It felt strange. They were making a deal over her head.

_They took her in her den, the batarian with his fleshy, roughly textured cock that stank and felt crude against her lips and left her flesh sore. The turian’s cock was more like a bone, several ridges that chafed her walls. She felt it could even be pleasant, especially how warm it felt, if he could work her up and use some lubrication. He was just too eager to fuck a human female to bother with that. They left her spasming on the floor when the turian’s cum triggered a small episode. Luckily, Dr. Michel was ready with a shot that relaxed her and knocked her out for the rest of the day. At least Shepard made a good deal._

And then, on another planet, in another hideout she was in the cockpit, sitting on the front panel with legs spread, while she bent over and moaned into Joker’s lap. His stiff cock was hitting the back of her throat and she would have thrown up from the experience and the thick musky smell, but his hard-on was actually impressive. He was not good at fucking at all, came too quickly, but boy, did he have stamina that compensated for his dimensions. So she was grinding her hip against the touchscreens and keys and buttons, her pussy leaking juices onto the console while Joker had a good show, watching her thin waist and impossibly round ass sway in front of his eyes while she cleaned him off.

“Shit, Joker you’re one sick fuck!” Shepard snorted as he stood behind his seat. The pilot jerked, and she stopped, pulling her lips off of him with a loud pop and let out a sigh. She blinked at Shepard with lazy eyes, still riding her last high. “What the fuck are you doing? That’s definitely not sanitary.”  
“I know, I just love the smell of pussy on my console.” Joker snickered apologetically. “It’s like when I touch the buttons, I could feel her juices.”  
“Clean up the fucking cockpit, Joker, this is not a brothel. It’s a spaceship. What were you thinking?”  
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry. I told her to do it. She didn’t complain.”  
Shepard motioned her closer and took her leash as soon as he could, pulling her to his side. She clung onto his shoulder, pressing her chest against his side, licking her lips.  
“Of course she didn’t, she’s high as a kite.”  
“I know!” Joker chuckled gleefully. “Isn’t that great?”  
Shepard started to tug her away.  
“No, it’s fucking not. Clean up this place before I spread your guts all over it.”

He took her to his cabin, which was unusual and told her to get a good shower. He gave her a new outfit and some pills that she took with a foul-tasting tea and made her eat a big plate of decent, greasy food.

“I need you in your good shape. No more drugs for now. We’re going to do some business.”


	12. The Ballad of the Pirate of Terminus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: no smut

Shepard arrived in the cargo bay just in time to see the battered shuttle touch the deck in a screech of metal and a shower of sparks. The damage was pretty extensive. Parts were falling off the spacecraft as it skidded to a halt. The Normandy’s mighty engines rumbled as the ship accelerated away, getting ready to make the short jump to Omega.

He watched as the shuttle powered down and nodded to Kaidan and Jacob who took up positions around the door, while Miranda shifted uneasily behind him, the chain leash tensing for a second in his grip. The door hissed open and promptly got stuck halfway, the mechanics giving up the struggle.

Vido Santiago climbed out, adjusting his gear and soon his two crewmembers followed. One was a battered old merc with scars and a sulky look, but the other made Shepard’s eyebrows run up his forehead. The slender woman was either wearing a thin, patterned top or she was really almost naked and tattooed up to her bald head. She practically prowled, her movements fluid, her eyes flashing excitedly and looked around with a smirk on her blood red lips. For a second everybody forgot to breathe and stared at her.

“Shepard! My friend! Thank you for coming to the rescue!” Santiago exclaimed and stepped closer with arms stretched wide to give Shepard a hug. “I am in your debt!”  
Shepard reluctantly returned the greetings then quickly pushed him away with a disdained snarl.  
“Santiago, you stupid bastard. What have you got yourself into this time?”  
“This time?” Santiago tried to sound indignant, but his eyes caught sight of Miranda, and he all but forgot Shepard as he looked her over with hungry eyes. “Just one very stupid mistake.” He explained absently.

Jacob and Kaidan stopped staring at the tattooed girl, but now Santiago and his men were staring at his woman.  
“Oh, my, what a sight for sore eyes, my friend!” Santiago shot a glance at Shepard. “You too, but this... even more gorgeous than I remember. Of course, last time she had more clothes on.” He snickered. She tried not to shiver.

The mercs stood quietly behind Santiago, looking around and shifting their weight on cramped legs. Shepard shot them another glance before nodding to his men, who lowered their weapons.  
“All in due time, Santiago,” Shepard warned and waved at the Blue Suns leader and his company. “What happened?”  
Santiago waved nonchalantly, but he seemed rattled and there was a stiffness to his moves.  
“I’m afraid I had a disagreement with my staff.” He shrugged and tried to dismiss the incident. “They wanted to take over my operation. We got out, but just barely. I need to get to Omega before they turn my whole fucking crew against me!”

Santiago licked his lips, his gaze wandering back to Miranda. He seemed to be pondering something before he continued.  
“I can tell you all about it until we get there. But I need a fucking drink.”  
Shepard frowned, trying to determine how much he can trust the man. Santiago seemed to be in genuine trouble, and if it was true, he was already indebted to Shepard for the rescue. If he can help Santiago stay on top of the Blue Suns, he would be owing Shepard even more. Maybe he could turn his own string of bad luck around and forge a new partnership. 

In any case, Shepard could make some profit out of it and solve at least one of his problems. He tugged Miranda forward, and held her by her shoulders, pulling her next to him.  
“I can do better than that, isn’t that right, dear?” He licked her neck. “You could show my friend, Vido a good time, can’t you?”  
“Y-yes,” she whispered.

Santiago grinned eagerly. He reached out to lift her chin up and look into her eyes.  
“You are too generous, Shepard,” he said, licking his lips.  
Shepard laughed. Santiago was too easy.  
“Well, let’s discuss this in my office. I’m sure we can work something out.”  
“Let’s, let’s,” Santiago nodded eagerly, shooting a glance back at his men. “You wait here.”  
Shepard nodded and gave a gentle push to Miranda. “Show us the way, dear.”  
The woman complied, starting to walk towards the elevators, ass swaying hypnotically, while Santiago threw an arm over Shepard’s shoulder, laughing as they followed.  
“Would it be possible for her to suck me off, while we... negotiate?”  
“Absolutely!”

* * *

Jack could barely contain herself from the moment the shuttle entered the Normandy. The plan was going well so far, and Zaeed seemed pleased that he had Santiago in his grip, although he was disappointed he couldn’t torture and kill him immediately. Using him as a bait was part of the deal, so he reluctantly held back. With Kai Leng’s help, they caught Santiago off-guard and raking up an impressive bodycount, they captured him.

Then they set the trap for the Normandy, making Santiago send out a call for help to Shepard. They prepped the shuttle to make it convincing that Santiago needed serious help and Jack and Zaeed posed as his remaining, loyal bodyguards. Williams and Kai Leng were hiding outside the shuttle, strapped to the underbelly of the ship and as soon as the Normandy loomed over the bait, they detached themselves from the shuttle and swiftly drifted to the hull of the ship before it opened its cargo doors. They needed a few minutes to make their way to their entry points, so Santiago had to buy them some time.

It started off as planned, the men making banter while Jack sized up the opposition. Williams showed pictures of all the known crewmembers and gave a few quick notes on their skills, so they knew exactly what they were up against.

She also showed a picture of Miranda, nervously, explaining her situation in as few words as possible. Jack still managed to get surprised when she saw her for the first time. The woman looked like a statue, a very, very hot, lingerie-clad statue. She had trouble not staring at those pale, flawless curves, round hips and full breasts, lean waists and long legs. Her bra and panties with the stockings and garter belt matched her black hair, highlighting all her best features. It drew attention to her like a sun capturing planets and comets.

It all made sense now, why Shepard would go through all the trouble and why Williams made it her purpose in life to get the woman back. Hell, even Jack wanted to jump her if she could. And that tattoo above her panties, that was the cherry on top. She was smoking hot.

Jack could also tell, that she was gone. Her eyes were vacant, and she was so docile, the only reason they needed the leash was as a fashion accessory. She wouldn’t try to run away. She was still very much graceful, but with that empty gaze, the spark missing from her eyes, it was a bit disappointing. Not good news for Williams.

Zaeed’s voice roused her from her thoughts.  
“Um, _boss_ ,” he called after Santiago, keeping up the charade for as long as possible. “I think we should stay with the shuttle until we arrive. No need to bother the crew.”  
There was a veiled warning in his voice that could pass off as wariness for the unsuspecting crew, but Massani was subtly warning Santiago to stick to the plan.

Santiago, however saw the opportunity to get out of the trap while still pretending to play along, staying close to Shepard.  
“Nah, it’s fine. We’ll just have a little chat and I’ll be back,” he answered back over his shoulder, not taking his gaze off Miranda’s ass. “Relax, and see what you can do with the shuttle.”

Zaeed shot a glance towards Jack, signaling her to get ready. He started after Santiago slowly, trying to play it off as not trusting Shepard’s crew.  
“I reckon it’d be better to stick together. And have fun later.”  
Santiago chuckled as they reached the elevator and the doors opened. As they started to step in, he turned back towards Massani with a smirk. Jack flexed her arms, pretending to stretch her limbs, giving a good show to the two men, who tried not to stare too much, while balling her hands into fists.

“ _Boss_ , I really think we should stick together. I don’t trust these guys.”  
Shepard chuckled as he reached for the button to close the doors.  
“You’d all be dead already if we wanted to.”  
“Yeah, he’s right. I trust Shepard,” Santiago replied nonchalantly.  
“And we should rot here, while you have fun with that pussy? No fucking way.”  
Shepard frowned and glanced at Santiago from the corner of his eyes.  
“If this is the crew that saved your ass, you really are in deep shit,” he said and reached for the button to close the door.  
“Ah, well,” Zaeed said, looking back at Jack. “Plan B, then.”

Jack grinned, and immediately let loose a shockwave in all direction. The idea was to get everybody off their feet and push Zaeed into the elevator with their targets. She succeeded in throwing off Jacob and Kaidan, but Zaeed slammed into the closing door, leaving a sizable dent in the metal, but not before getting a couple of shots into the elevator. 

She dived for cover, focusing on Alenko and leaving the rest to Zaeed, who shook his head and gun in hand, turned around the corner of the elevator shaft. Shots were echoing in the cargo bay, Taylor showering the corner with bullets, where Zaeed was hiding. Alenko on the other hand started a game of hide and seek with Jack, between the crates. There wasn’t much space to lurk around, though, and Jack noticed the blue glow of Alenko’s biotic charge before she saw him. She smirked and jumped up, lifting herself on top of the crates before releasing a direct blast in his direction.

Alenko grunted and bouncing off a crate he slid out into open space. Jack immediately lifted him up, before he had a chance to recover and jumped down from the crates. With a motion of her hand she threw the man against another set of crates near a workbench.  
Alenko grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth while he hung, pinned. He smirked and looked around. “Ironic.” He muttered, realizing this was the place where he tortured Miranda.

Alenko looked at Jack as she approached, walking lightly, like a panther on the prowl. Her grin promised pain.  
“I was told you are a bad little boy,” Jack purred, running her nails across his cheek not too lightly. She licked her lips.  
Kaidan hissed and gritted his teeth.  
“Just get it over with...”  
“You wish,” Jack chuckled.

On the other end of the cargo bay, Zaeed had to keep Taylor at bay while watching the engineering room door and fire warning shots in their direction when they tried to get out. Jacob kept moving from cover to cover, trying to circle around and force him to fight without cover. After a minute or so of gunfire, the merc had enough of the game and with a frustrated snort he threw a flash bang grenade to the next piece of cover where Taylor was dashing to. Taylor saw the grenade bounce to a halt in front of him and started to steer clear of it, diving farther away from Zaeed and the grenade, but it was too late. He closed his eyes, but the explosion stunned him anyway, throwing him against a wall. By the time he could climb to his feet, he was already peppered with bullets.

“Massani! What’s happening?” He heard Williams’ voice coming in from the radio as he went to poke Taylor with his boot, making sure he’s dead.  
“Had to switch to plan B,” he snarled, looking around. “Santiago made a dash for it and they are in the elevator.”  
“Got it. We’re moving in. Proceed to the main deck.”  
Zaeed heard a blood-curdling scream from somewhere, and chuckled, looking around.  
“Jack!” he shouted. “Gotta keep moving, darling!”

Jack heard the shout and turned her head away from Alenko, her hands still glowing blue.  
“Coming!” She replied and turned back towards Kaidan, who was still pinned to the crates with a biotic field. He was shivering from the shock of her latest gimmick of opening a warp field inside him. He spat blood. “Sorry, kid, I have to move on. It was fun while it lasted.” Jack grinned and leaned in to steal a kiss. 

Alenko was wheezing hard now, he felt his lungs failing. He lifted his painful gaze at Jack.  
“Thank you,” he whispered. Jack stared back at him with a look of disgust.  
“Sick fuck!” She hissed. Then she lifted him high above the crates and pushed, sending Alenko flying across the cargo bay. He slammed into the hangar doors with a sickening crack and fell like a rock, splattering his brain on the floor.

By that time Jack was already bouncing towards Zaeed and gave him a big hug.  
“This was great!” She cheered. “What’s next?”  
“Check the engine room, and meet me at the stairs, we’re not letting Santiago get away.”

Jack nodded and ran off, sending the engineering door flying with a blast, as a sort of advance warning. She stepped in, glowing blue, bullets bouncing off her biotic shield. She turned towards the two men firing at her. In a second they were floating in the engineering deck, crying out in surprise and panic. Jack gave a little nudge to the biotic field, just enough so the forces started to pull the men towards the big, glowing forcefield of the Normandy drivecore. The engineers started to shout and beg in growing panic. Their fate was unavoidable. Jack ignored them, and quickly looked around.

She noticed the quarian girl in a corner, staring at her scared, but not making any moves. She was not trying to beg for her life. Williams warned them, that Tali was their mole, and they should spare her if she doesn’t fight back. Jack looked her over, bouncing up and down on her toes from the excitement, and grinned. She winked at the quarian and she was off, meeting Zaeed at the stairs.

***

Miranda yelped in surprise when the shockwave hit them, throwing her against the elevator wall. Santiago screamed as a bullet hit his side and he fell. Shepard jumped aside towards the control panel of the elevator but the biotic shockwave still slammed him into the corner. He grunted in annoyance and drew his gun, reaching for Miranda to pull her behind him. He noticed blood on her thigh and reached down to touch it. A bullet scraped her leg and she was so shocked, she just stared at him with wide, pleading eyes, letting out a tiny whimper when he touched her leg.

“Just a scratch.” He told her in a calming voice, before he turned his attention and his gun at Santiago.  
The elevator stopped at the CiC deck, but nobody moved.  
“Joker! Report!”  
“Lost contact with Jacob and Kaidan, captain! No news from the--” A series of deep rumbles interrupted his answer, and the whole Normandy trembled under their feet.  
“Joker!”  
“Uh-- It looks like escape pods 1, 3, 5 and 2, 4, 6 have been ejected, sir!”  
“What the--”

“They were not triggered by the crew, captain. I detect no activity in the escape pods.”  
Shepard cursed.  
“We’ve been set up. How long till we get to Omega?”  
“We’re already within visual range, captain. Couple of minutes.”  
“Step on it, then!” He turned his attention back to the whining, moaning Santiago, who pressed his hand to his wound, but a pool of blood was already collecting under him. “So. Santiago. How did this happen, hmm?”

“Shit, Shepard, I swear to God, I had nothing to do with it!” Vido whined. “I’m bleeding to death here. Get me some medigel or something.”  
“Yeah, right. You got sucked into it.”  
“You have no idea, man. These people are crazy! They killed dozens of my men and got me just to lay a trap for you, man!”  
The elevator stopped and the doors opened to the sight of a very serious Vega, holding an assault rifle at them. Noticing Shepard he nodded and lowered the gun.

Shepard started to step out of the elevator, keeping Miranda behind him.  
“And you led them onto my ship, you fucker. You couldn’t have fooled them, huh? Tell them you don’t know where I am, right? You piece of shit!”

“No, Shepard, I swear, they already knew--”  
He couldn’t finish the sentence. Shepard pulled the trigger a second time, watching the mercenary leader collapse into a bloody heap before stepping out.  
“Joker! Seal this deck!” He shouted as he started to pull Miranda with him towards the cockpit, Vega in tow, covering their way. “Show me something.” Shepard barked as soon as they got there.

Omega was already looming above them and they started their guided approach. They just had to wait.  
“Can’t raise engineering. There was a fluctuation in the drive core, but it’s gone now.”  
“Yeah, yeah,” Shepard snarled. “Show me the crew deck.”

Joker called up surveillance onto his panel. They saw intense firefight in the main hall. Two figures were holding out on the hallway to the escape pods. Unmarked armors, but very efficient fire team. Already there were a dozen bodies in the mess hall.

“Hmm, marine tactics,” Vega muttered. “Look at them lay down fire. These are not mercs.”

“They actually climbed in through the escape pod hatches.” Joker reported.  
“Yeah,” Shepard said, lost in thought. This was too familiar. “Can you zoom in on them?”  
Joker tapped a few keys and the angle changed to a camera closer to them. He enhanced the image.  
“Oh, shit,” Joker exclaimed.

“Of course,” Shepard whispered. “Ashley.” He looked back over his shoulder at Miranda, who followed the events, but didn’t comprehend what was happening. She was standing behind Shepard, so she couldn’t see the monitors. “I guess your girlfriend wants you to disappear.” He snickered and looked out the cockpit windows. They were minutes away from docking at the hangar, the Normandy drifted into.  
“Gotta hand it to them, to use my tactics against me.” He sighed, the sounds of shooting getting louder.

The situation was changing on the crew deck, people were floating in the air, flailing helplessly, blood spraying from their wounds. Some people turned their backs to Ashley and her teammate and started firing wildly at the new threat. It was a matter of minutes before they were finished.  
“Joker. After we dock, you stay put and wait for my call. Open a comm link to our Blood Pack contact, tell them I have a business proposition.”  
“Roger.”

“Come on, sweetheart, we’re going for a ride,” Shepard smirked and started to tug her along.  
“L-like this?” Miranda stuttered.  
“What’s your problem? Are you suddenly shy?”  
“She’s right, captain.” Vega said. “It’s Omega. She would draw too much attention.”  
“Fine,” Shepard grunted in annoyance. On their way to the hatch, he picked up a shirt from one of the chairs and threw it to her. “Put this on.”  
He pushed her in front of him towards the hatch and looked back at Joker. “Be cool, Joker. I’ll come back for you.”

Joker nodded and turned back towards the console, watching the docking computer readouts. There was a clang as the docking claws attached to the Normandy. He powered down the engines and switched on the green exit light as soon as the docking walkway was pressurized.  
“Go. Good luck!”

* * *

Ashley decided that this wasn’t the time to be subtle. As soon as they got the hatches to open, she started with a flash grenade, clearing her entrance and dropped in with guns blazing. The escape pods hallway was not the best place to get into a firefight, but Kai Leng and she decided to go for it, trusting the surprise element. That, and their army of two attitude got them to a defensible position unharmed, where they got pinned down by the crew. From there it was just a matter of time for them to pick off the enemy.

It would have taken long to fight their way out of there, but as she hoped, Zaeed and Jack barged in from behind and scattered the remaining resistance.  
“What took you so long?” Kai Leng asked as he reloaded and stepped out into the mess hall.  
“Well, I’m fucking sorry, but that bloody Santiago tried to wiggle his way out. We had to improvise.”  
Kai Leng was not satisfied, but left it at that. Ashley was already on the move.  
“Check these rooms and move on!” She barked impatiently and went for the captain’s quarters. She almost kicked in the door, then stepped aside and peeked in from her cover. Empty. Her heart sank. She did a quick sweep of the room, checking every corner just in case, but it was just a waste of time.

She let out a frustrated growl and joined the others near the stairs.  
“Anything?”  
“Just the doctor. She overdosed on something. I think she’s dead.” Jack said.  
Ashley shrugged.  
“Move out.”  
They started for the CiC deck, but found their way blocked, blast doors were lowered across the stairs. The elevator was out of order, too.  
“The vents,” Ashley said and they ran to the two service tunnels they were shown on the blueprint of the ship. While they opened the doors and climbed in, they heard the clangs and the engine powering down, which meant they arrived at Omega, faster than they thought.  
“Shit!” Ashley hissed. “Garrus, are you there?”

There was some static crackling for a while. She repeated the call as they were climbing slowly in the vents.  
“I hear you, Ash,” Garrus replied in his soothing voice.  
“We couldn’t get to them in time. They should be exiting in any moment.”  
“I will be waiting for them.”  
“Follow them, Garrus and keep us posted. We will catch up with you.”  
“Got it.”

They climbed out on the deserted CiC deck, weapons at the ready.  
“We’ll check the back, find Santiago. Meet you at the docks.” Zaeed said. Ashley nodded, turning her attention at the CiC control centre. It was more impressive in life than on pictures and vids. Kai Leng flashed an approving smirk as well as they passed the stations and went forward.

When they reached the hatch, Ash signalled Kai Leng to go to the door and keep guard, while she went to the cockpit.  
“Don’t fucking move!” she warned.  
“Easy, easy!” Joker said, lifting his hands into the air and slowly turning around.  
“Joker,” Ashley sighed. She was so disappointed when he defected with Shepard. He was a promising pilot.  
“Hey, Williams,” Joker grinned, his hands raised. “I’m just the cripple in a seat, you know.”  
“Don’t do anything stupid,” She warned as she started to back away.  
“You know me...” he said cheerfully. Ashley backed out and turned towards the hatch to leave. Joker lowered his hands and just as Ashley took a step to walk away, he grabbed the pistol he kept in the chair panel and pulled the trigger.

Ashley screamed and fell from the shock of the impact, pain blossoming in her side. They had to shed most of their armor to climb through the vents. She reached for her dropped gun and crawled to the wall.  
She stuck her gun out and started firing round after round towards the cockpit. After she ejected the thermal clip and popped in a new one, she rolled out and aimed at the pilot. It was not necessary, though. Joker was already dead, bleeding from several wounds.  
“You stupid kid,” Ashley groaned, tears springing to her eyes. She dropped the gun and clutched her side.

Kai Leng was standing above her, surveying the situation.  
“I’ll be fine,” Ashley panted, fishing for the field medikit on her belt. “Go. Keep in touch with Garrus.”  
Kai Leng shot her another glance, watching as she ripped open the medpack. Then he nodded and dashed off after Shepard.

Ashley sat up and panting with the pain she tore up her shirt on her side and doused the wound in all the medigel she had in the pack, hissing and cursing as the cool substance seeped into the profusely bleeding wound. She put some gauze and tape on it and waited a few seconds to catch her breath, focus and stand up.

She cried out as the wound stretched but managed to stagger off the ship, clutching her side with one hand. It wasn’t gonna heal properly, if she kept moving, but she couldn’t wait. There was no way she drops out of the chase before she could meet eye to eye with Shepard. Knowing she will regret it later, she made her way into the bowels of Omega.

* * *

Shepard was fuming as they pushed through the Omega crowd, annoyed for every second they lost. He pushed and shoved along with Vega, dragging Miranda behind them, who seemed totally lost and didn’t know what was happening. Soon they reached the end of the crowd and moved into more scarcely populated streets. The knocking of Miranda’s heels were echoing in the streets. Heads started to turn and look at them.  
“Take those heels off,” Shepard hissed. Miranda let go of the shirt where she clutched it close over her chest and quickly took off the heels. Even this, she did with a certain grace. She didn’t say a word, just held the shoes in one hand and clutched the shirt closed again over her body.

They found a small maintenance vehicle, which Vega quickly jacked and sat into the driver’s seat. Shepard and Miranda climbed onto the back and Vega was off. The vehicle was terribly slow, but they were still faster than on foot.

Shepard exhaled, leaning back against the cockpit and rubbed his forehead. He laughed, shaking his head and looked up at Miranda.  
“Unbelievable. I fucking don’t believe it. All along it was you. Not Ashley, not the Alliance, not Torfan, not even Liara but you.”  
Miranda blinked, looking back at him. She was listening but didn’t understand what he was trying to say.

“Who would have thought.” Shepard continued, still shaking his head incredulously. “Ever since you entered the picture, nothing goes according to plan. Starting with the way we broke up with Ashley. That was the last straw.”  
She tried to follow his thoughts, but the names were not familiar. She had trouble remembering things, or concentrating for that matter, but she sensed that this was very serious and she needed to pay attention. Shepard was working himself up, and that could become dangerous.

“And then things went smoothly until we found YOU on that damn ship! Miranda fucking Lawson! Do you even know that you are the reason for all that’s happened until now?”  
“I-I am sorry,” she replied automatically. She didn’t understand what was her fault, but the way he said it, it must be true.

Shepard snorted in disdain and shook his head.  
“No, of course you don’t.” He grabbed the leash and pulled her closer to him to look into her face. Her dull eyes made him even more frustrated. “You’re a curse! You confused Liara and look how that ended. She even reverted back before... Fuck! And then you made Kaidan relapse. I should have let him kill you.”  
She tried to look into his eyes, to see why he was so mad at him, but tears fogged her vision and her lips started to curl downward.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and cautiously put a hand on his crotch, trying to rub it gently. He pushed her hand away with a growl.  
“The fights between the crew. Strife! And now this,” he waved around him as the vehicle ambled along filthy, dark streets. “You even managed to bring out the beast from Ashley. My crew is gone.”  
She was starting to panic as Shepard pulled her even closer, grabbing her jaw and looking into her eyes.  
“I see now, that it’s all because of you. Your mere presence seems to throw the universe in disorder. Chaos follows you and you don’t even know it. You have no idea what are you doing to the world around you, huh?”

She shook her head frantically in his grasp. He was right, she had no idea. She hoped he was convinced enough not to blame more on her. “I’m sorry.”  
Shepard slapped her on the cheek and let her drop away.  
“Sorry. Well, I’m finished with you. I should have got rid of you much sooner. Hopefully it’s not too late now.”

* * *

Ashley staggered through the crowded plaza, every bump into a passerby sending a shockwave of pain through her torso. She had to clutch her gun tight not to drop it from the pain.  
“Garrus— Kai Leng— Report.” She croaked after stopping to rest in one of the side streets on the other side of the plaza.  
“They reached the Gozu District,” Garrus replied, panting. “I’m following them on foot.”  
“Getting closer, too,” Kai Leng said. “I think they’re going to meet someone.”  
“Think so, too,” Ashley gasped. “Wait until they meet their contact. I’ll try to catch up.”  
“You’ll never make it on foot,” Kai Leng said.  
“Take a shuttle to Gozu Plaza,” Garrus said immediately. “I can guide you to the meet from there.”  
Ashley sighed. She knew Kai Leng was right. She would never make it there on foot at all. She was already sweating and catching her breath took longer than usual. Her wound kept bleeding.  
“All right! I’ll see you there.” She signed off.  
She looked around with feverish eyes until she saw a landing platform where a shuttle was just arriving. She pushed herself away from the wall with a groan and started to make her way along the edge of the plaza.

* * *

Miranda kept begging to him for the rest of the trip not to sell her. She was crying and pleading, promising to be good and try better, even tried to open his pants to show her dedication, but Shepard just kept pushing her away with growing frustration.

He had to admit, even now she was persistent, and getting desperate by the minute, to the point of disregarding her own safety. When he slapped her on the face, she still came back, stroking his chest, his shoulder, wanting to hold him and kiss him. After the second or third hit she changed tactics and wanted to get punished so she could redeem her “sin.”

In the end, he had to hold her down, clasping her arms to her sides and hold her tight to prevent her from harming herself. She wouldn’t sell for the right price if she wasn’t flawless. By the time they arrived at the meeting point, she was exhausted and he was fuming.

It was an irregularly shaped plaza with houses along two sides and one street running into it, and the rest of the circular shape was railings with a view of one of Omega’s many, gigantic ventilation shafts that reached up into the foggy heavens and the even foggier depths.

They arrived first. Vega stopped the vehicle near the railing and got out, drawing his rifle, quickly sweeping the place for any movement. It was thankfully deserted.

Shepard jumped off the back of the car and dragged Miranda down, holding her by the arms. She could barely stand anyway, knees buckling with every step, but he didn’t trust her not to try and make a dive for it. He kept looking around, walking in a small circle while Miranda was still whispering “I’ll be good, I promise, I can do better, please,” over and over again, staring into space. The place was quiet.  
“So this is it, eh, Loco?” Vega declared, almost cheerful. “The last stand?”  
“Hopefully not,” Shepard said, scanning the place.  
“Still.” Vega shrugged, not lowering the rifle from his shoulder. “We had a good run, no?”  
Shepard chuckled. “I suppose we did.”  
“Well, you know what they say— It’s better to burn out than to fade—”  
There was a sharp rumble and a small shuttle rose from the depth of the ventilation shaft, cutting off Vega’s words. They both aimed their weapon at the shuttle as it drifted over the plaza and started to touch down. It had a Blood Pack insignia welded to the cockpit.

The shuttle touched down not too gently, blowing dust and debris into the air that whirled around them like a small storm until it started to slowly settle. The door hissed open and a heavily armored krogan jumped out, with two vorcha in tow. Vega started to back off to get into a better position in case things turned ugly.

Shepard hissed as he recognized the krogan. He quickly forced a grin on his face.  
“Garm himself! I never thought I’d see you out here, you paranoid bastard!” He greeted the merc cheerfully.  
Garm rumbled, which was the equivalent of a krogan chuckle and shook Shepard’s hand.  
“I had to see this myself, Shepard! I heard so much about this... merchandise of yours.” He reached out to Miranda to lift her chin up and turn her head left and right.

Miranda was frozen in place, her legs almost giving out from the fear, her eyes wide with panic. She shivered visibly, and shot a bewildered glance at Shepard.  
“Please, Shepard. I’ll be good. Please don’t,” she whined, which made the krogan laugh. He started to peel off the shirt from her shoulders to expose more flesh with a satisfied growl.  
“So how come you wanna part with this beauty? I heard she was not for sale.”  
“Ah, I wouldn’t sell her to _anyone_ ,” Shepard said. “The thing is, she was too hot to handle. Making the crew fight each other. Too much trouble. It started to not worth it.”

* * *

Ashley staggered out of the shuttle, her legs already cramped, her muscles trembling. She cannibalized the shuttle’s first aid kit to try and stop the bleeding, but from the feel of it, the bullet was still lodged inside her somewhere, as every move painfully reminded her. Garrus sent the location to her omnitool and she started following the signal through the winding walkways and alleys, trying to hurry as much as she could, while she listened on the comm between Garrus and Kai Leng.

“I don’t see Liara with them,” Garrus said.  
“She wasn’t on the ship either,” Kai Leng replied.  
“That’s odd. Be on the lookout. She’s a strong biotic.” Pause. “I’m in position above them. Got them in my sight.”  
“They still didn’t see me. I’m on street level, making my way to a better firing position.”  
“Wait for it. Something’s coming.”

Ashley stumbled up a flight of stairs, sweat stinging her eyes. She started blinking to clear her vision. Her wound was bleeding again, it soaked through her bandages. Her hand was slippery, too, she had to grip her gun tighter. She stumbled along the wall, leaning on it for support, dodging trash and various debris. Breathing was becoming a challenge. She tried to focus on the chatter to know the situation when she walked into it.

“Blood Pack.” Garrus said. “Go now, the dust will cover you.”  
“Gotcha.” Then “In position.”  
“I see you... _fuck_!”  
“What is it?” Ashley groaned. She never heard Garrus curse. It sounded bad.  
“Garm! That freakish bastard!”  
“How bad?”  
“Local Blood Pack leader. Shot him in the head once. Still alive.”  
“That’s not good.”  
“Uh, Ash. ETA?”

“I don’t know. Couple of minutes.” She tried to sound confident. Her panic rising, she tried to walk faster.  
“You want to hurry.”  
“What’s happening?”  
“Shepard is trying to sell Miranda to him.”  
“Shit! Garrus,” she gasped. “If you have a clear shot, you take it. Don’t wait for me.”  
“Heard you. I’ve got a clear line of sight on Garm. Kai Leng, you need to finish him off. One shot will not be enough.”  
“Just give me the signal.”

They both went quiet, which just made it all the more unbearable for Ashley. According to the omnitool, she was still four blocks away. She felt so powerless, she wanted to cry. Letting out a grunt she gathered her remaining strength and quickened her steps.  
“Almost there. Talk to me!”  
“Uh, they’re, um, negotiating.”  
Ashley snarled. “Can you take them out now?”  
“They’re very close together—”  
“Take the damn shot at first chance, Garrus!”

She saw the plaza in the distance, two blocks ahead at the end of the street. She saw the rear of the shuttle, but she couldn’t see the people. It was so close! She moaned in frustration and leaning on the wall she started jogging, her vision starting to blur and every step making her grunt.  
“I see the plaza,” she gasped.  
“Gotcha. You’ll need to run diversion. We’ll be vulnerable until Garm is down.”  
“Give me thirty seconds.”

Time passed painfully slow. She lifted her gun, but she wasn’t sure of her aim. Uninjured, she could easily lay down some covering fire, but now she had trouble focusing. It changed in the second she could make out the shapes in front of the shuttle. Her heart started to race as she identified Miranda, standing right in front of Shepard, the krogan looming over her. It was almost too much to bear. She haven’t seen her for months, and she didn’t know how much she missed her. But seeing her like this, almost naked, poked and prodded like meat, it hurt her even more.

She realized she was snarling. She let go of her wound and supported her wrist with her bloody hand. She was too far but she couldn’t wait.  
“I’m ready. In three... two... one...”  
She pulled the trigger.  
All hell broke loose.

* * *

Vega yelped in surprise as something bit into his calf. The next second he heard the shots and bullets whizzing past him, bouncing off the car and the shuttle.  
The next second Garm’s head seemed to explode, a spray of blood showering Miranda and Shepard. The krogan roared in frustration, turning towards the shot.  
“ARCHANGEL!” He roared.  
Shepard dove for cover behind their stolen vehicle, yanking Miranda with him. Vega returned fire towards the street, where someone was approaching, while limping for cover, which was not easy in the middle of the square.  
At the same second, an assault rifle barked and showered the krogan from another direction, punching holes in his armor and limbs and head. The vorchas snarled and scattered, a sniper taking out one of them before it had time to go for cover.  
Shepard pulled his gun and returned fire towards the window where he spotted the shooter.

Vega spun around towards the rifleman, a murky shadow under an archway. He started shooting, but he was caught in the crossfire. The pistol from the street never stopped shooting at him and before Vega could decide where to duck, another shot hit him in the neck, then in the arm. Several other, pointless shots bounced off his armor, but it was already finished. He stared at the apparition emerging from the street, a bloody, screaming witch with one fucking pistol, the muzzle still flaring as she kept pumping shots into him.  
“Fucking Lola...” he gurgled, spitting blood before collapsing.

Meanwhile the shuttle was powering up, the pilot panicking. Kai Leng laid down suppressing fire on Shepard’s cover, giving Garrus an opportunity to take up a new position and prevent Shepard from jumping into the shuttle and escape.

As soon as the vehicle tilted and drifted over the shaft, Kai Leng shouted into the comm.  
“Garrus! The pilot! Now!” He started firing at the cockpit right away, distracting the pilot until the familiar rumble of the high-powered rifle echoed over the area. The shuttle tilted sharply and started to sink in an uncontrolled dive, out of sight.

It all happened in less than two minutes and suddenly, the plaza was silent again. Ashley ejected her thermal clip and jammed in a new one, aiming it at Shepard’s cover. She was standing on wobbly legs, bloody and dirty, blinking hard to clear her vision frequently, her skin shining from sweat, eyes dark and face pale, but her hand was steady. She took on a ghastly appearance. She was the angel of vengeance.  
“Shepard! Come out! It’s over!” She shouted, slowly moving to the right in a large circle around his cover.

Kai Leng appeared from the archway, nodding to her, and training his rifle at the same cover he also started to move towards the street, taking up Ashley’s original position.

“We got you surrounded! Fucking come out!” She screamed. She fired a warning shot at his cover, followed by another shot from Kai Leng, just to let him know they were there.

That worked. Shepard stepped out, using Miranda as cover. Ashley’s heart sank. Miranda looked rattled, eyes darting left and right, lost all composure. She was shuffling nervously and seemed completely disoriented. She was in lingerie, which she would have admired in any other circumstance, but now it just added insult to injury. And that tattoo, Shepard’s mark... She wanted to scream.

“Okay, honey! You got me!” Shepard shouted, his eyes searching the windows, trying to find the sniper. “Now what’s gonna happen, huh? Are you gonna shoot the hostage? Remember your training?”

Ashley gritted her teeth.  
“No clear shot,” Garrus whispered into the comm. “Keep moving to the right.”  
Ashley took a step, but Shepard didn’t follow, keeping Kai Leng in his sight, too.  
“You let her go and you get a fair trial! That’s the offer!” Ashley shouted back.  
“Not good enough, Ash! You need to sweeten the deal!”  
“What the fuck do you want?”  
“To get out of here alive?” Shepard replied with a snort.

“Mercs approaching from the street!” came the warning from Garrus.  
“Got it!” Kai Leng said and started to pull back into the street, looking for a good spot.

Ashley was left alone on the square with Shepard and Miranda.  
“Poetic, isn’t it?” Shepard asked.  
Ashley pressed her lips together. She had no comeback, she didn’t want to waste time and she had to clench her jaws so her teeth wouldn’t clatter from the cold shiver she was feeling. It was the blood loss, she knew. She didn’t have much time.  
“You don’t have much time,” Shepard echoed her thoughts, nodding at her bloody torso. “That’s a nasty wound.”

Ashley started to shuffle to the right, making an effort to keep her gun aimed at him. She needed to ignore Miranda for now, otherwise she would just lose it. She avoided her terrified gaze as much as she could.  
“Keep moving” Garrus whispered in her ear.  
“Yeah, Joker was stupid.” She spat.

Shepard tensed. It must have hurt him because he shook Miranda, making her gasp and changed position, pressing his head to her neck to keep himself in cover. He snarled in frustration, squeezing Miranda’s hand harder.  
“Yeah, his blood is on you, too!” Ashley pounced on. “Just like Kaidan’s. And Tali’s.” She knew it was a lie, but she had to press on. “Where did you ditch Liara, huh?”

“Don’t get smart with me, Ash!” Shepard snarled, following her moves, shuffling Miranda in front of her. “Your girlfriend here was just as much fun!”  
Miranda stared at Ashley, listening to their conversation and she knew she should be feeling something, that woman should look familiar but she couldn’t place it. Of course, she was thin and pale now, with dark eyes and a bloody side, so it was not easy to recognise her. She kept her gaze on Ashley’s gun like it was a snake hypnotizing her.

And then the shooting started. Everybody turned into that direction, the shots echoing down the street. Kai Leng opened fire on the approaching mercs, cutting down three before they knew what hit them. The response was even more intense, a dozen different type of guns peppering Kai Leng’s cover with bullets.

Only Ashley knew it was coming and she didn’t look. She used the few seconds of distraction making a couple of steps to the right and fired a single shot that whizzed past Miranda’s head and almost scraped Shepard’s neck.

He snapped his head back instantly, pushing Miranda a bit to the side from the sudden movement and lifted his gun at Ashley with a smirk. Ashley’s hand was trembling, and her aim dipped, the gun lowering just an inch.  
“A mistake. You were always a lousy shot.” He said and pulled the trigger.

Ashley grunted as the shot went through her left arm, clean this time. She was too slow to dodge. At the same time there was a familiar, deep rumble as Garrus’ rifle fired and Shepard’s shoulder exploded in a cloud of bones and blood. He staggered back with a scream, letting go of Miranda, who collapsed immediately, leaving him exposed.  
“All yours, sister,” Garrus growled in Ashley’s earpiece and turned his attention towards the mercs, picking off targets to help Kai Leng and feeding him what he saw.

Shepard still stood, wobbling, his eyes wide from shock, his right shoulder a mangled mess, his arm dangling limp by his side, held in place by his shirt only.  
He looked up at Ashley.

“Well.” He smiled. “This is embarrassing.”  
Ashley stared into his eyes and snarled.  
“Rot in Hell.” And she pulled the trigger.

Her aim was off, hitting his thigh instead, making Shepard groan in pain and drop to his knees. Ashley grabbed the gun steadily in both hands, pressed her lips thin and fired again.

This time she hit him square in the chest.  
“Broke— my— heart—” Shepard gurgled and toppled back.

The gunfire was still loud from the street, and Garrus and Kai Leng were talking on the radio, but Ashley couldn’t hear it. She felt all strength leaving her and she fell to her knees with a moan. She had to close her eyes for a few seconds, head bent down and take a few deep breaths. She was shivering.  
“Miranda,” she whispered, looking up suddenly. She was not done yet. Dragging her gun her injured left hand, crawling on her knees and her right hand she made her way to where Miranda lay. She was unconscious, and covered in krogan and human blood.

Ashley fell back, sitting on the floor of the plaza and with her last strength, she pulled Miranda into her lap. She felt tears springing to her eyes. It was so long ago that she held her in her arms, it was almost unreal. It pained Ashley to see her like this. The anguish was almost unbearable. She peeled off the shirt from her arms and started to wipe Miranda’s face clean from all the blood and dirt, sobbing in relief, letting her tears fall on her soft, warm skin. She carefully went across her lips and brushed her hair out of her face. 

Even though mercenaries were pushing in from the street and she should be looking for cover, even though she felt numbness spreading in her side and all along her left arm, wiping Miranda’s face was the most important thing in her life.

Miranda’s eyelids fluttered and slowly opened, her ice-blue eyes staring back at her. Ashley wiped her tears away, cradling her face in her hand.  
“Hey,” Ashley whispered and tried to smile. Gunshots were still echoing in the background. “Are you okay?”  
Miranda looked around confused, trying to remember where she was and what happened. She looked down at herself, then back at Ashley.  
“Y-yes, I think,” she mumbled.  
“You’re gonna be alright,” Ashley said, laughing in relief. Her head felt heavy. She wanted to sleep, but something told her, not yet.

Miranda still looked at her with confused eyes, and slowly, dreamily, reached up to cup her cheek, frowning, racking her brain. Her touch was electric, making Ashley laugh and weep at the same time, grabbing her hand and pressing it to her cheek, kissing her palm.  
“You remember me, baby?” Ashley asked, looking into her eyes.  
Miranda slowly shook her head, but kept touching her. “I—” she whispered. She looked more confused, the escaped thoughts bothering her. She was fighting to remember.

“Let me help you” Ashley whispered and leaned over, pressing her lips against hers.

She closed her eyes tight and let out a desperate sigh, caressing Miranda’s cheek while she kissed her, licking her lips open with small nibbles, waiting for her reaction. Miranda tentatively let her in, every touch less cautious and more welcoming. When their tongues finally met and they could taste each other, Ashley felt Miranda going tense, her hand pressing hard against her cheek. Her whole body froze, back arching like she received a jolt and her eyes snapped open and stared at Ashley with total surprise.

Ashley didn’t care, her eyes still closed, tears streaming down her face, lost in the kiss she hungered for for so long, she caressed her face and let out a long sigh.

“Ashley,” Miranda whispered into her lips, not breaking the kiss, her gaze softening. “My god...”

And finally, Ashley Williams could let go. She sobbed in relief, pulling away to see her, and the surprised expression on her face before hugging her eagerly.  
“I got you, babe. I got you.” She whispered, rocking her gently. “Everything will be fine.”  
“I-I forgot—” Miranda muttered, still disoriented, but she felt that this was somehow right.  
“It’s all right.” Ashley mumbled into her hair as she looked out over the plaza.

The sounds of the world returned to her in an instant. Blue Suns mercenaries were marching into the plaza from the street.  
“...Get to cover! Ash!” Garrus was shouting into her earpiece. “...Cornered into the building. Can’t help you!”

Holding Miranda close to her chest with one hand, Ashley fumbled for her gun, and slowly lifted it towards the approaching crew. There was sparse gunfire coming from one of the buildings. A mercenary fell out screaming from a third floor window.

They were trapped, sitting in the middle of the plaza. A batarian stepped forward and tilting his head, looked over at Ashley and Miranda.  
“Really? You wanna fight?”  
Ashley didn’t reply, but kept her trembling gun pointed at him. She was so close.  
“Done!” Garrus reported over the comm. “Kai Leng is taking up a position downstairs. I’m above. There are too many of them. Can’t get you out of there safely.”

“So? What will it be?” the batarian asked. Ashley did not budge. She was not going to lose Miranda again. Ever.

A shotgun shot rang from behind and a mercenary dropped. There was some commotion at the back of the lines, but eventually it settled and the crew parted.  
“Tarak you pathetic little four-eyed cocksucker!” rumbled the familiar voice of Zaeed. “Stand down or I’ll have to fucking shoot you in the back!”  
The batarian turned back with a surprise. “Zaeed?”  
“Aye.” He threw something at the feet of the batarian, who bent down and picked it up suspiciously. “That’s what’s left of Santiago.”  
Zaeed turned back towards the mercenaries.  
“Gentlemen. You filthy motherfuckers, you sorry bastards, you. The Blue Suns is under new management as of today, by yours truly.”

Tarak gasped and let the cut off hand drop to the floor.  
“Holy shit, Massani!”  
Zaeed turned on his heels towards the batarian.  
“Exactly, Tarak. So. What will it be, you disgusting frog? Wanna stay the Suns leader on Omega, or shall I just put you down like a rabid dog?”

Ashley watched the exchange with a heavy head, trying hard to stay conscious, holding onto Miranda like her life depended on it. She felt Miranda’s touch on her arms and she looked down at the questioning gaze of those beautiful blue eyes. She had to smile.  
“It’s fine. Relax,” she whispered and looked up again.

The batarian relented and holstered his weapon.  
“Whatever you say... boss.”  
“Attaboy.” Zaeed patted his shoulder. “Get ready to move out. She’s with me.”  
“But the others— They killed twenty—”  
“Collateral damage, Tarak. Price of ignorance.” Zaeed grumbled. “I’ll tell you later.”

“More incoming!” Garrus warned on the comm and before Ashley had a chance to try and move into cover, Blood Pack vorchas scrambled up the railing from the vent and spread out, while a squad of krogan blocked the street exit. The Blue Suns were trapped in plaza, the two women in the middle of it all.  
“Bloody hell,” Zaeed muttered and stepped forward towards the approaching krogan.  
“This is Blood Pack territory! You are trespassing, Blue Suns. You will pay for this with your lives!”

“Tell him Archangel killed Garm. He is the new leader.” Garrus suggested over the comm. “Or I could take him out, too.” He offered smugly.

Zaeed quickly looked around and noticed the dead krogan. He poked a thumb at the corpse.  
“Isn’t that your former boss, huh? Garm?” Zaeed shouted back defiantly. The Blood Pack mercs started to grumble and snarl in anger, getting nervous with their guns. “Archangel did you a favor, my friend! Congratulations on your promotion!”

The krogan boss growled and stomped angrily.  
“Are you in allegiance with the vigilante Archangel?”

“You should probably say no,” Garrus suggested with a little glee in his voice.  
“I don’t give a fuck about that Archangel bloke!” Zaeed spat. “This was between them. We had nothing to do with it.”

“Except you are trespassing!”  
“Bullshit! This is disputed territory! And we moved in because we heard the fight and you didn’t come. You sell protection in Gozu but where were you?!” Tarak shouted back defiantly.

Ashley could still follow the conversation but she was getting sleepy now, and it was harder to keep focused. She was so cold and Miranda’s touch was so warm on her cold skin, it made her shiver. She had to hold on for her, until this was over.

Angry voices were rising from the ranks of both merc groups, insults and arguments flying back and forth. It was slowly getting out of hand. While Zaeed could probably calm his people down, the Blood Pack just realized they lost their leader. Ashley held on to Miranda tighter, rocking back and forth gently, gripping her gun tightly.

“We need to get you out of there,” Ashley heard Garrus’ voice. “This will get ugly.”

Before it could, however, there was a mighty, high-pitched noise and a gunship descended on the plaza from above, bearing the symbol of Omega. Aria’s personal craft hovered over them, turrets pointing at the commotion.

“Hello boys!” Aria’s voice rang loud and clear through the PA system of the gunship. The pilot was making sure the guns passed over every target. “Playtime is over! Put your dicks away nicely and play hide-and-go-fuck-yourselves somewhere else.”

The argument died down immediately. The Blue Suns stayed together until the vorcha and the krogan left, taking their fallen with them. Zaeed nodded to Tarak.  
“Get the bodies and fall back to base. I’ll meet you there later.”  
Tarak nodded and motioned the others, who moved to obey as soon as the Blood Pack was out of sight.

Meanwhile the gunship landed and the cockpit opened, Aria climbing out from behind the pilot and landed gracefully on the plaza. Zaeed stepped back to give them room to talk. He was not involved in this.  
“You make quite the noise, Commander Williams,” Aria declared, surveying the damage. “And you have powerful friends.”  
Ashley was too tired to deal with this. She shook her head, breathing heavily and taking an effort to look into Aria’s eyes.  
“Not my intention.” She nodded towards Shepard. “Job done. Getting out of here.” She managed.

Aria shot a disdainful glance at Shepard’s corpse.  
“He was beginning to be a lot of trouble,” she remarked before focusing her attention back at the women, notably running her gaze over Miranda. “But I can see why all of you went to all this trouble.”

The ruler of Omega smiled and licked her lips as she stepped closer.  
“What an exquisite little flower,” Aria mused and Miranda shuddered. “You have very good taste, Williams, I give you that.” She laughed, sending one more sultry look towards Miranda before returning her attention to Ashley, seemingly oblivious of her physical condition. “And you got rid of Garm and Shepard, so I guess we are even.” She strolled back to the gunship and turned back to her before climbing in. “You have safe passage off Omega. Don’t stay too long!”

“Wait!” Ashley croaked. She shouldn’t be doing this. She should be seeking a doctor, not risk even more and bargain with a criminal. She figured she didn’t have much time anyway. The cold was seeping into her bones.  
Aria looked at her curiously. Ashley swallowed and licked her lips.  
“I can do better.” She panted. “I make— Archangel disappear,” she had to stop to catch her breath. Aria was listening. “And I— get to ask— a favor in return.”

“Well played,” Garrus chuckled into her earpiece.  
Aria almost snorted. She struck a pose where she tilted her hip and rested a hand on her waist.  
“I underestimated you, Williams,” the Queen of Omega smirked. “Very well!” She climbed back into the cockpit, behind the pilot. “Next time you visit Omega, I’ll buy you a drink. Don’t come often.”

The gunship engines roared to life and it gently lifted off, then started rising faster and faster up the vent.

Ashley let out a relieved sigh and looked at Miranda with an exhausted smile.  
Miranda must have been watching her all the time and some memories might have returned, because she was crying now, holding onto her arm with a strong grip. Miranda saw how much pain she was in and what willpower she needed to keep it together.  
“I’m sorry I forgot—” she whimpered, squeezing her arm stronger.  
Ashley shook her head. “It’s okay, baby. The important thing is, that you’re safe,” she whispered, caressing her cheek.

She felt light, and the cold was not bothering her any more. The warmth that was Miranda in her lap was enough for her. She did it. Shepard was dead, Miranda was safe, and nothing else mattered. If the world ended right now, she would be happy. She _was_ happy. And cold. And dizzy. She needed to close her eyes for a second. Just for a little while. Miranda was safe. She could rest a little bit now. Just a little bit of sleep. She saw Miranda’s beautiful face and she smiled and watched the world go white, her face melting into the blinding light that seemed to be radiating from her. 

She smiled and closed her eyes and she felt light and she fell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always welcome


	13. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I re-edited the Epilogue, cutting stuff out and tightening the text a bit to make it more fluid and less sappy. I'm more satisfied with it now.

**INTERMEZZO**

Jack strolled along the empty CiC deck, looking around and musing at the consoles, workstations, the impressive hologram of the galaxy. She ran her fingers along the backs of the seats, the consoles, whichever she passed by. She was walking lightly, taking her time, lost in thoughts.

Zaeed rushed after the Alliance people as soon as they found Santiago dead in the elevator. He was not even annoyed that Shepard got to him before Zaeed could finish the job. In fact, he found the fate of his rival amusing.  
“Are you coming?” The old merc shouted back halfway down the corridor.  
Jack shrugged, looking a little bored.  
“Nah, go ahead. I’ll hang around here,” she replied in a dreamy voice.  
Zaeed nodded and dashed again, then his steps slowed down at the intersection before the cockpit. He slowly turned back and looked at Jack. He frowned.  
“Are you okay, darling?” He asked curiously.  
She just shrugged, eyes unfocused as she stared through the galaxy holo.  
“Mmm hmm.”  
Zaeed pondered, tilting his head at the tattooed biotic.  
“You’re not coming with me,” he said quietly. It wasn’t a question.  
Jack looked at him from halfway across the CiC deck, but didn’t reply. It was all in her eyes.

Zaeed sighed, bowing his head for a few seconds before looking up at her with a smile. He opened his arms.  
“Come here.”  
Jack sauntered up to him with a bit of a guilty expression, biting her lip. She knew he knew. She slipped into his embrace smoothly and rested her head on his shoulder.  
“Well, we had a good fucking run, didn’t we?” he murmured. Jack hugged him tighter, eyes fogging up. She pulled away and looked at him, nodding quietly. The old merc smirked. “I had a great time.”  
She chuckled.  
“Me too. But I can’t follow you there.” She waved at the general direction of Omega with one hand, resting her other hand on his shoulder. “That’s not my world.”  
“I know,” the battered old merc smirked. He patted her cheek. “You’re a fucking force of nature, Jack.”  
She snorted in laughter and gave a peck of a kiss to his cheek.  
“Get the fuck out of here.”  
And Zaeed winked and left. She has been wondering the corridor ever since, looking into the cockpit. She dragged the corpse of the pilot off the chair and threw him down at the wall. The body landed with a few sickening cracks that made Jack grimace. She also noticed the pool of blood around the corner to the hatch. Since there was no body, she figured it was either Williams or Kai Leng who got hit. Or maybe one of the crew, who managed to drag himself away.

She stood behind the pilot’s seat, leaning on the back and stared out the windows. She heard footsteps behind her. Cautious, soft steps. Harmless. She looked back over her shoulder. It was the quarian girl, with a pale faced redhead with a leg wound leaning on her. The two stopped in their tracks. Jack’s biotics flared up which made the other two tense.

“You’re— Tali, right?”  
The quarian nodded quietly.  
“And you’re— Kathy or something.”  
“K-Kelly.”  
“My name is Jack.”  
The two didn’t know what to say. Jack looked back and forth between them and the pilot seat.  
“So. Tali. Is this piece of shit spaceworthy?”  
Tali carefully edged closer, pulling the limping Kelly with her. She did a quick check of the lights and readouts.  
“Looks like. A bit shot up but nothing serious.”  
Jack grinned.  
“Do you know how to fly this thing?”  
The quarian snorted indignantly.  
“Of course.”  
Jack laughed.  
“So what do you say, girls. Do you want to get the fuck out of here?”

 _Jack, the Pirate Queen of Terminus._ She liked the sound of that.

 

**E P I L O G U E**

Miranda sat on her bed, huddled into the corner in a dim, rundown patient room with a darkened window opening to a corridor. She was in a clinic somewhere. The turian the others called Garrus led them there after the dust cleared at the plaza. He gathered the unconscious Ashley into his arms, the other man picked Miranda up easily, like she weighed nothing. He smiled at her encouragingly, his distinct asian features smeared with grime and probably blood. He smelled like battle.

She whispered a quiet thank you and leaned her head on his shoulder. They took the maintenance vehicle, somebody else taking the wheels. The turian held Ashley steady and shouted directions to the driver, mostly urging him to go faster.

Shepard’s dead body was also thrown into the back of the truck, but Miranda couldn’t enjoy the irony. The asian man put her down gently, but she still clung to his neck, not trusting her strength to keep upright, especially with the wild turns the truck made. She drifted in and out of consciousness on the way, images of Garrus holding Ashley in his arms, the blur of buildings and streets as they passed them by and the bloody corpse of Shepard alternating in front of her eyes when she was able to open them. She felt confused, and exhausted, her mind in turmoil after the kiss and the memories flooding back threatened to overwhelm her. She felt dizzy and nauseous from the whole ordeal.

“Stay with me, Ash,” the turian whispered as he braced himself against the cockpit while the vehicle crashed down a flight of stairs and through a tight series of corners. Finally they stopped with a drift, no small feat with the clunky maintenance car. “Ash!” the turian’s voice sounded like a warning or a threat.

Miranda was half aware that the turian was in a rush, shoving and kicking his way through doors and anybody that got in his way. She knew she should be worried. The asian man brought her in, too, and put her down on a gurney in a hallway. He assured her that she was safe, checked her for injuries quickly and told her to stay there. He rushed off, and she heard shouting and arguing. She pulled her knees up and hugged her legs covering herself from the stares of the patients until a nurse gave her a blanket. She wrapped herself in it and sighed.

She spent most of her time like that ever since, even in the loneliness of the room. She had periods of clarity, that mostly ended with memories flooding her mind and making her groan and whimper and go into panic until she was sedated or she hyperventilated herself into drowsiness. She was shivering, she slept, she was hungry, she slept, she threw up and slept.

She remembered seeing the ugly merc drag in Shepard’s dead body and asking for directions to the morgue. She remembered a salarian doctor trying to examine her while she tried to run away and they had to hold her down. She remembered somebody removing her collar and she almost immediately fell into a deep sleep. She remembered waking up in the dim room, and she remembered still sitting on the gurney in the corridor, shivering while the asian man dragged Garrus from a room, while the turian was shouting threats. His chestplate was bloody. The man calmed him down.

She didn’t see much of the turian for a while. Sometimes she forgot his name. At one point she found herself in a hospital gown. When she had visitors, it was always a nurse, who made bright lights, and the salarian doctor they called Dr. Solus. He talked a lot which she had trouble following. She understood the word withdrawal, when her body trembled and she stared at her flailing limbs incredulously, like somebody else was controlling her body.

Time fell apart into fragments. She was in the corridor again, wrapped in blanket, the turian discussing something with the asian man, while a human nurse cleaned and bandaged her leg wound.

She woke to see Garrus sitting at the window in the other end of the room under the glow of a wall light. She remembered she woke up once with the turian’s dark face close to hers, which sent her into a panic attack. She wasn’t sure of the order of these events, though, she phased out a lot, sometimes in mid-conversation, just to wake up sweating, and huddling in the corner, alone.

“Hey, Miranda,” Garrus said in his soothing voice when he saw that she remained calm. “Do you know, who I am?”  
Miranda nodded.

“You’re Garrus,” she replied automatically and then continued without thinking, “Ashley’s adopted brother.” She blinked in surprise. The words were familiar but they meant nothing to her. She knew she used to say it jokingly to somebody.

“That’s right, I am.” He nodded to a woman sitting at the foot of the bed. She didn’t notice her before. “This is Dr. Chakwas. We’re at a clinic on Omega. You are safe, Miranda.”

It must have been going on for days until she finally felt like the world was actually sharp and focused around her and she registered the details, the colors, the voices and the impressions didn’t escape her in a few hour. It was an odd feeling, like she was sleepwalking for who knows how long. It could have been years. She regained her sense of time, and her brain started to sort out the hazy memories. She wished she didn’t.

“Garrus?” Miranda asked in a high pitched tone. “What is happening?” She sat up, looking at the woman cautiously, then back at the turian.

“You are safe, Miranda, I promise. Don’t worry. Dr. Chakwas is here to help you.”  
“With what?”  
“Miranda,” the woman said patiently and waited until she turned towards her. “You are fine. You are going through withdrawal. You had a lot of drugs in your system. Your recovery is looking very good. Do you understand me?”  
“Yes.”  
“Good. We’re here to help you.”  
“How long was I—?”  
“Six days.”  
Miranda nodded. It felt more, but her mind was racing all the time, driving her crazy. It could have easily been a month, or only a day.

“Where’s Ashley?” She remembered the woman’s haunted face. The despair and the kiss and that she held Miranda in her arms. Garrus and Dr. Chakwas exchanged glances. Garrus spoke first.  
“She’s close. In another room.”  
“Can I see her?”  
“No, you can’t.”  
“Why?”  
“Miranda, do you remember what happened?”  
“I—” she tried to remember, but she was too scared to go to those places of her mind. It caused her physical pain. She winced. “There was a fight... Shepard...”  
Garrus nodded, cutting her off before she could remember more.  
“Yes. Ashley and us caught up with Shepard. Ashley was injured.”  
Miranda nodded. She lifted her hand to her dry mouth and traced her fingers along her lips, remembering the kiss. Chakwas and Garrus exchanged glances again. Garrus decided to push on before she would get lost in her memories again.

“I knew about this clinic. ” He pushed away from the wall and came to Miranda’s side and sat down. He took her hand. “A salarian runs this place. He is called Dr. Mordin Solus and he is probably one of the best doctors in the galaxy.”  
Miranda nodded in understanding. She suspected that he was special from the way he talked. She looked at Dr. Chakwas, who was looking at her curiously, studying her every reaction. It looked like she was observing Garrus, too, like she coached him for this moment. It made Miranda suspicious. She stared at his rough, clawed hand holding her pale, soft hand. It was a human gesture, but it lacked the softness.  
“Okay,” she muttered, because she could not think of anything else.  
“Ashley lost a lot of blood. There was not enough human blood here and no trained human surgeon. I went to get help.” She could feel him search her face, keeping the awkward gesture of holding her hands. It started to freak her out a little. “She was badly injured.”

“Because of me,” Miranda nodded, drawing a logical conclusion from the pieces she could remember, which wasn’t much. But she could feel the importance from the way she held Miranda in her arms. That image always returned to Miranda’s mind at the most unexpected moments. It was freaking her out, too.

“Don’t think about that now,” Dr. Chakwas said, putting a hand on her shoulder sensing her despair. She felt Miranda’s body trembling under her touch but she didn’t seem worried that she would go into another episode. She nodded Garrus that he can let go of her hand. “It’s over and we’re here to get you all home safe.”

“Right now, all you need to know that it’s over. And as soon as Ashley wakes up, we’ll get you back home.” Garrus said, finally letting go of her hand.

Home. Miranda tried to remember what home was like. It was the foot of Shepard’s bed. The small, dim room behind Dr. Michel’s medbay, on rugs. Her head started to hurt. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She felt that Ashley was important, she just wished she knew why. There were vague memories of intimacy and smiles, but she couldn’t put them in place. She started rubbing her temple. Her hand went to her neck absently. She remembered something about headaches and a collar, but there was nothing there now. It was strange to touch the skin of her neck.  
“So what’s my diagnosis?” she asked with eyes closed, in a moment of clarity that surprised even herself.  
“You are considered a trauma victim, Miranda. Temporary memory loss is consistent with this type of experience. The drugs... complicate things, but it’s too early to jump to conclusions. We don’t know what happened exactly.”  
Miranda sighed, rubbing her temple harder. She felt pressure in her chest and she pulled herself smaller. This was familiar. She will be flipping out any minute now. She didn’t open her eyes, but felt Chakwas and Garrus moving into action.  
“Yeah,” she muttered, just to signal them that she was still there. “Me neither.”

She knew it was her own fault, that she asked questions that would upset her, but she had to appreciate the honesty, that Dr. Chakwas was not treating her like an invalid and haven’t tried to lie to her. She was sure the doctor didn’t tell her everything, but that was all right.  
“Just… just please don’t hurt me,” she blurted out. She didn’t know where it came from but it sounded like the right thing to say. It worked on the Normandy. Sometimes.  
She felt hands on her shoulder as she started to shiver. She was starting to hyperventilate and they were trying to hold her down. She couldn’t find the strength to open her eyes.  
“It’s gonna be fine, Miranda,” she heard the deep turian voice. It wasn’t enough to calm her down, but it did help her focus for a few more seconds.  
“Okay,” she wheezed. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to freak out now.”  
And then she did, until she felt the pinch of a needle and drifted off into yet another drug-induced dream.

* * *

Ashley woke up slowly, aware of her surroundings for a while before she managed to peel her eyes open. It was all out of focus and dim, but after several blinks, she managed to notice Garrus looming over her. There was a woman with him, but it wasn’t Miranda.  
“Hey,” she slurred, licking her dry lips.  
“Hey, Ash. How do you feel?”  
“Like shit.” There was a numb pain in her side, and she didn’t even try to move her limbs yet. She felt the bandages around her torso and her left arm, so at least she could guess that most of her appendages were intact. She looked around. “Where—”  
“We’re still on Omega. You were out for almost a week.”  
Ashley shook her head slowly. It was a mistake. She immediately felt sick.  
“Where is she?”  
“She’s next door. She’s fine.”  
Ashley sighed in relief. The rest was irrelevant. She went back to sleep.

* * *

“...are you here with us?” She heard from the distance. The voice was familiar. She mumbled something, and gradually opened her eyes again. “There you are.”  
“What—”  
“You were out cold for another half cycle. So I guess that makes it one week in total now.”  
The woman was there again. Still not Miranda. But that reminded her that she asked about her and she received an answer. She wished she could remember what it was. It must have been good, otherwise they would look more anxious.  
“Miranda all right?” She mumbled. Garrus chuckled.  
“Yes, Ash. She’s fine.”  
“What happened?”  
“Well, you kinda died,” the turian said almost cheerfully.

Ashley smiled and tried to laugh. Another mistake. Pain shot through her side. She remembered Joker shooting her, and then it all came back to her.  
“Commander. My name is Dr. Chakwas. I’m with the Alliance.” The woman stepped closer and nodded to her. From her attire she guessed the doctor was with the Alliance. “You lost a lot of blood. There was not enough plasma supply so you were kept in a coma for a while until we got enough and stabilized you. We removed the bullet and repaired your vital organs. You are in a stable condition.”

“Thank you,” she said almost impatiently. “How do we stand?”  
Chakwas checked her monitor and decided Ashley was strong enough to keep her awake. She nodded to Garrus.  
“Well, you remember Aria showing up?”  
“Who?”  
“The asari.”  
Ashley nodded. “She looked important.”  
Garrus chuckled. “She runs Omega. I was surprised to see her show up personally.” He paused. “I remembered this clinic so we brought everybody here. Kai Leng is outside, Shepard’s in the morgue. Massani left to handle the Blue Suns. We went back to the docks to get supplies and brought Dr. Chakwas to help with patching you up.”

“You left us here alone? Miranda, too?” Ashley asked dumbfounded, looking at Garrus.  
Garrus chuckled. “Rumor has it that this is the second safest place on Omega after Aria’s bedroom. That crazy salarian has some heavy firepower protecting his precious clinic. I think he’s former STG.”  
Ashley nodded reluctantly. “Still. A long shot.”  
He chuckled, shaking his head.

“I doubt anybody would have tried to touch you even without Mordin’s heavy artillery. You caused quite a stir on Omega. They say it was the biggest showdown on Omega since Aria took over,” Garrus continued in an amused tone. He seemed cheerful enough, smiling proudly and with a little bit of admiration. “They call you the Bloody Witch.”  
Ashley shrugged almost sulkingly.  
“Should I be worried?”  
Garrus shrugged.  
“Well, Aria was not happy, but then again, she never is.”  
Ashley nodded. She could put the rest together later. Now she had more important things to take care of.

“What about Miranda?”  
“Oh, they call her the Pale Siren—” Ashley glared at Garrus. “Oh, right—”  
Garrus looked at Dr. Chakwas, who stepped forward. This didn’t look good at all. Garrus stepped back, giving them space.  
“Physically she is fine, commander.” Chakwas explained.  
Ashley frowned. Not a good start.  
“But?”  
Chakwas shrugged.  
“Too early to tell. I’m not an expert. What I could tell is that she was drugged with various, heavy substances. There are signs of… abuse. We don’t know yet what effect it had on her psyche. She went through withdrawal and she recovered remarkably fast.” Ashley nodded. Of course she did. “She doesn’t remember much. Yet.”  
There was a pause. Ashley looked at the doctor with a questioning glance.

“She lost her memory?”  
“Commander, you have to understand that as far as we can tell, she went through a lot. Not to mention the drugs. It is a small wonder she can remember anything at all and that she can hold a coherent conversation.”  
Ashley smiled. It was no wonder, she knew. Miranda was that strong. It was that simple.

“What’s her diagnosis?”  
“Well, when she starts remembering, it will not be pretty. She can have breakdowns, panic attacks, delayed-onset PTSD symptoms. The whole works. She needs professional help.”  
Ashley shook her head slowly, closing her eyes.  
“I’m not gonna stick her in a mental institute if that’s what you’re suggesting.” She warned.  
Dr. Chakwas shrugged, lifting her hand soothingly.  
“All I’m saying is that she needs to see an expert. She needs to be under constant supervision until we see how she recovers. The Alliance won’t let her get back to active duty until she’s cleared anyway. You know that.”  
Ashley nodded.  
“Fine. She will be under my supervision. She will see a shrink, but she won’t be locked away.” Ashley declared, pressing her lips thin. She was fully awake now and felt her pulse quickening. She looked at Garrus with some desperation in her eyes. “Does she remember—?”

Garrus shrugged. “Bits and pieces. She’s still there, somewhere. Not all the time, but...”  
“Commander,” Dr. Chakwas said and waited until Ashley turned towards her. “Her personality is shattered. Disconnected from her memories. It will probably come back, but you have to be prepared to handle the episodes.”  
Ashley nodded.  
“Noted. When can we leave?”  
“I suggest giving yourself a little more time. We can transfer you to our ship and take you home.”  
“Your ship?”  
“Yeah, the Normandy’s gone, Ash,” Garrus interrupted. “It seems like Jack nicked it in the confusion.”  
Ashley snorted. “Of course.” She frowned. “What ship then? There’s another Alliance vessel docked at Omega?”  
Chakwas was about to reply but Garrus waved dismissively.  
“No, but don’t worry about it. It’s not important right now.”

Ashley nodded slowly.  
“So we did it, right?”  
“Yes. We did it.”  
Silence stretched on as the situation started to sink in. Ashley sighed and she looked at Garrus with big eyes. She felt so tired. Now that it was over, she just wanted to crawl into a corner and sleep.  
“Can I see her now?” She asked, looking at Dr. Chakwas, almost pleading.  
“Of course,” the doctor said. She looked at Garrus and they backed away from the bed.  
“We’ll be outside,” Garrus said.

Kai Leng peeked in through the door as they left. He looked at her with a questioning gaze. Ashley nodded and the N7 operative slipped in.  
“We did well, commander,” he grinned, stopping at her bedside. Ashley sighed and looked at him.  
“Yes. Thank you, Kai Leng. For everything.”  
“Any time,” he nodded and gave her a quick salute. He quickly glanced towards the door. “Listen, just one small thing.”  
Ashley raised an eyebrow.  
“Yes?”  
“You remember advanced training? Escorting a VIP through hostile territory?”  
Ashley frowned. She didn’t know where he was going with this. “Yes. So?”  
“You remember what the instructors said? Never let your mark out of your sight. If he pees, you hold his dick, blah, blah, blah...”  
Ashley chuckled. “Yeah, I remember.”  
Kai Leng shrugged.  
“That’s it.” He nodded towards the door and started to walk backwards with a grin. “Never let her out of your sight.”

Ashley understood and gave her a serious nod, her eyes getting foggy.  
“I won’t,” she whispered. “Thanks.”  
Kai Leng nodded and slipped out like a thief, and she was left alone in the dimness with the beeps of the machines, and her thoughts. She sat there, fiddling with her fingers, going over everything she heard.

She couldn’t imagine what Miranda went through and she had no idea what would be best for her: if she never recovered her memory and stayed safe from the horrors, or having her back the way she was, but putting her through a lot of pain and anguish. What if she won’t remember what they had? What if she remembers but comes out damaged and won’t let anybody close to her? God, she missed touching and kissing her!

Was it her fault? She let her go on that damned mission and she was not fast enough to get her out of there. She could have done more! She should have done more!  
It didn’t matter now. Shepard was dead and she got Miranda back. And there she was, standing in the doorway, wrapped in a hospital blanket, looking at her with uncertain eyes. She flashed Ashley a shy smile and walked in, letting the door close behind her. She sat down at the chair next to her bed. They watched each other in silence, like it was the first time they met.

Ashley smiled and lifted a hand to cup her cheek.  
“Hey there,” Ashley whispered as she touched her warm, soft skin. She leaned into her palm, closing her eyes for a long second. Ashley pulled her closer and she only hesitated for a second. As their lips met, eyes closed, she felt Miranda’s hand touching her cheek. It was as good a time to cry as any. “I’m sorry, Miranda. I’m so, so sorry.”

Miranda tried to smile reassuringly, but she was struggling. Something was missing.  
“I’m sorry, too,” Miranda said, looking into her eyes, searching for clues, “but I don’t remember much.”

Ashley’s heart sank a little. She blinked her tears away, nodding, stroking her cheek with her thumb, rubbing away her tears.  
“It’s alright, baby. It will come back to you.”  
“What if it doesn’t?” Miranda asked desperately, holding onto Ashley’s hand on her cheek. “What if—”  
Ashley put a finger on her lips, quieting her.  
“I’m sure it will.” Miranda wanted to argue, but Ashley kissed her again. “You’re too smart to lose everything.”

Miranda let out a ragged breath, slowly shaking her head.  
“I’m useless now, Ashley. And if it doesn’t come back—”  
Ashley shook her head vehemently. She swallowed her tears and took a deep breath.  
“Then I will have to make you fall in love with me again.” Ashley shrugged with a defiant tone. “You’re not getting rid of me this easily.”

It seemed to make her relax a little bit, at least that’s what the uncertain smile told Ashley. At least it chased away Miranda’s doubts, and she could let go of her fears for now. She leaned closer, burying her face into her neck quietly, hugging her shoulder. That was already a good sign, because the Miranda she remembered wouldn’t show too much weakness. Still, it was good that she let it out.

Ashley grimaced and groaned as her wound stretched from Miranda’s weight but she didn’t mind. She started stroking her hair gently in that familiar way she liked it.  
“It’s alright, Miranda. I’m here and I’m never letting you out of my sight again.”  
She slid her hands down to her shoulders and pushed her away so she could look into her blue eyes. She was fighting for self control, too.  
“Listen to me. I’m serious. ” She brushed wet locks from her blushed face. “I don’t care what comes back. I’ll look out for you.”

Miranda nodded slowly. She didn’t believe it but it was nice.  
“But you have to promise me something,” Miranda whispered.  
“What?”  
“If it doesn’t—” she was searching for the words but she couldn’t find them, but she saw that Ashley understood. “If I would hold you back… Then you have to let me go.”  
Ashley smiled.  
“I can’t promise that.”  
Miranda looked at her confused.  
“I had you once. I can do it again.” Ashley smirked. “You’ll see. I can be very charming.”

Miranda smiled and shook her head.  
“You’re awfully sure of yourself.”  
“Damn straight I am. But I’m sure about you, too.” She sighed, taking her hands. She was getting tired again. She knew she will drift off to sleep, soon. “I know I can trust you. Can you trust me?”

Miranda thought for a few seconds, then nodded quietly as Ashley laid back on the bed, letting her hands go. She wiped away her tears and composed herself with those familiar gestures Ashley remembered. She was there all right, somewhere hidden, scared in the back of her mind to where she escaped from Shepard. And Ashley will bring her back and she will make both of them whole again. Just not now. Now she wanted to sleep.

* * *

It took another day until she felt strong enough to make the journey back to the docks. Miranda was with her most of the time, and they even had a little chat with Garrus and Kai Leng, a sort of informal debriefing, putting the pieces together.

It turned out, Garrus and Kai Leng were freakishly effective in giving the Blue Suns severe casualties, while they came through without a scratch. Zaeed dropped by for a short time and they discussed Jack and their deal. They parted ways with a firm handshake and a vague offer of a future favor from Zaeed’s part in exchange for a vague offer of Alliance leniency in certain cases.

Dr. Mordin Solus expressed scientific interest in Miranda’s genetics, which was more than creepy for Ashley, but she had to admit that the salarian did a good job keeping her alive. Ashley thanked Mordin Solus for his help personally and agreed to keep in touch and the salarian offered to collaborate with them in the future if the need arise. She took the offer while Garrus was nodding in approval behind the salarian’s back. The salarian said something about finishing his job on Omega and suggested he might visit Earth after that.

Late morning they packed their gear, said their goodbyes to the staff and left the clinic. It was not exactly an armed escort. They tried to look casual, Kai Leng taking the lead, Dr. Chakwas keeping close to Ashley and Miranda and Garrus bringing up the rear. Ashley was confined to a wheelchair, Miranda walking behind her. They all wore plain clothes, but still, there were some whispers behind them and heads turning their direction as they passed.

They took a shuttle from Gozu Plaza to the Omega Docks, where the crowd was bigger and they were less obvious, but they could spot several men tailing them or watching them from the edge of the crowd, some of them Aria’s, some other mercenaries. Kai Leng tried not to smirk. After a week, everybody already heard about the Gozu Showdown.

Ashley tried to look confident, not too menacing, not too broken, but it was pretty hard to play it cool. She had no idea where they were going. She was about to ask, when she spotted a sleek cruiser at the docks, vaguely turian in design, fashioning Council liveries. She raised an eyebrow curiously, and her eyes went wide, when she noticed the turian standing close to the airlock. The facepainting was unmistakable. Nihlus Kyrik in person. They all stopped when they reached him.

“Lieutenant Commander Williams,” the Spectre nodded. “I am told you managed to stir up Omega a bit.”  
Ashley pulled herself up straight in the wheelchair, grimacing as she stretched her healing wounds. She decided not to mention that the plan was to contain all the conflict to the Normandy.  
“Spectre Kyrik,” she nodded, not quite knowing what to say. She was still on painkillers, so she didn’t feel particularly sharp at the moment. “What brings you to Omega?”  
“My sources told me that some Alliance operatives may have gone rogue and were planning something foolish on Omega. The relationship between the Council and the Terminus Systems is very volatile. I had to make sure that some reckless gunmen didn’t cause a diplomatic incident.”

It sounded pretty close to the truth, but the Spectre didn’t seem to be upset or disappointed. If anything, he looked smug. Ashley nodded.  
“I see. I’m sorry if I caused yet another disappointment,” she replied nonchalantly, looking into the Spectre’s eyes.

“Commander Williams. I should reprimand you for your behaviour. I’m sure General Anderson will also have something to say about Alliance soldiers taking matters into their own hands and allying themselves with private investors and mercenaries.” There was no edge in the turian’s voice, he was keeping it neutral, even casual a bit. The others standing around Ashley didn’t react to Kyrik’s words. Oddly, there was no tension in the air, apart from Miranda’s nervous shuffling, but Dr. Chakwas put a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her reassuringly. They all watched the exchange quietly.

Ashley shrugged. “We’re not soldiers. We’re marines,” she said cautiously. She wasn’t sure where he was going with all this.  
“Are you mocking me, Commander?” Nihlus inquired.  
“No, sir. I will give my full report to my superiors and face the consequences.”  
“You realize that this is not simply a matter for the Alliance.”  
Ashley nodded, reaching for Miranda. She shot a glance at her as she took her hand in hers.  
“I am. I did what I came here to do and don’t give a flying fuck about anybody’s concerns.”

The turian chuckled and his gaze traveled up from her hand to Miranda, standing close to the wheelchair, letting Ashley hold her hand. Miranda avoided looking into the turian’s eyes by reflex.  
“Mmm, yes,” the Spectre nodded and slowly stepped closer to give her a good look. “Agent Lawson. I’m glad you are safely with us again and Dr. Chakwas was able to help.”

Miranda nodded uncertainly. She didn’t know what to expect from him. She felt her knees go weak and she felt the faint urge to kneel down. She had to force herself to remember that it was over now, nobody owned her.  
“Yes. Thank you,” she whispered.  
“Dr. Chakwas is with you?” Ashley interrupted.  
“Yes. Temporary assignment. A joint venture if you will.” He waved towards the airlocks. “Step on board, please. I’m taking you back to Earth.”  
Ashley raise an eyebrow.  
“Are we under arrest?”

Nihlus smiled. “No, not at all. I’m just here to provide you with a ride.”  
They all started walking. Ashley knew she should leave it at that, but she had the feeling they were keeping something from her.  
“You have a very convenient timing, Spectre. You happened to be here just in time to help us out and dispatch a human medical officer.”  
“You are welcome, commander.”  
As they entered Kyrik’s ship, Ashley’s mind was racing, her suspicion growing.

“Yes, thank you. I realize that without Dr. Chakwas’ help, there would be two corpses in the cargo bay. I’m grateful for all your help.” She looked back at the others, who seemed to be keeping a straight face, but it seemed a bit forced. “But you are not telling me something.”  
“And what would that be, commander?” The Spectre seemed to be amused. It irritated Ashley.  
“Your source, for example. None of my team would spill the beans to a spectre.” She looked at Garrus. “I know you didn’t... So you were either keeping tabs on me, or—” she paused.

They entered the ship’s main deck, which had a similar layout to the Normandy. The CiC was far behind the cockpit, a typical turian design which inspired the Normandy command deck, complete with the galaxy map and the elevated position for the ship’s captain. It was actually too familiar to Miranda, who became tense and clung onto the wheelchair with whitening knuckles. She was holding it together but just barely. They stopped at the elevator.

“Or?” Nihlus asked.  
“Or it was General Anderson—”  
“That’s absurd, Williams,” the Spectre snorted, but he wasn’t too convincing.  
Ashley’s mind was racing.  
“And Aria— How did she know what was happening? And why would she care?”  
Nihlus was smiling. Ashley looked around. Nobody seemed to be surprised. Ashley tried to remember their exchange. She was pretty out of it by that time from the blood loss.  
“She said I had powerful friends—”  
“Did she, now?”  
Ashley snorted and closed her eyes, shaking her head. _Of course_!  
“You went to Aria?” She looked up at Nihlus as the elevator door opened. “And _asked_  her to save _my_  ass?”  
Nihlus looked at the assembly around them.  
“Dr. Chakwas, please prepare the medbay for our patients and show the major and Vakarian where they can put their gear down. The Commander and Agent Lawson will accompany me to the comm room for debriefing.” He turned towards Miranda. “If you feel up to it, of course.”

Miranda nodded. It was either this, or the medbay. She didn’t want to be left alone at a medbay again. Every time she went there it meant medigel and drugs. She felt safer with Ashley.

Nihlus nodded and the others filed into the elevator and the door closed. It was just the three of them in the corridor. Ashley was looking at the turian with a questioning gaze.  
“This way,” the turian waved, but Ashley lifted a hand to stop Miranda from pushing the chair.  
“I’m listening.”  
Nihlus shrugged.  
“Aria and I have met on occasion. I felt I should warn her that a showdown might be happening on Omega, and it could get ugly.”  
Ashley frowned. “I wouldn’t buy it. Even from a Spectre.”  
“I may have also indirectly implied that if things turned ugly, I might be forced to cut a path of destruction into the bowels of Omega to get my people out.” Nihlus smirked. He seemed to be enjoying this.

Ashley chuckled incredulously.  
“Your people.”  
“So to speak.”  
“And she bought it.”  
“It was not a bluff, Commander.” Nihlus said as he started to walk towards the comm room door.

Ashley could actually believe that. From what little she knew about the Spectre, he had a tendency to disregard rules and orders to get what he wanted or do what felt right. She could respect that. On the other hand, she felt suddenly deflated. Nothing that she accomplished with defeating Shepard was her achievement. She had money from a father who lost his daughter, support from a mentor who had a soft spot for her, the help of a disgruntled N7 marine and a mercenary who wanted their reputation back. A web of favors, and in the end, she could still have died on the plaza if Aria hadn’t defused the situation. She could have died if Nihlus didn’t have Dr. Chakwas on board. And all she could show for her troubles is a dead pirate and a broken, probably permanently damaged woman, whom she couldn’t save in time.  
“Thank you, I guess,” Ashley whispered.

She shrunk deeper into the chair, resting her head on the back. She felt Miranda touch her shoulder and look at her worriedly. Ashley closed her eyes and shook her head, smiling.  
“I’m just tired,” she replied to the unspoken question. Then she returned her gaze to Kyrik, who finished setting up the comm and looked at them curiously.  
“I can see why you went through all that trouble,” Nihlus said, observing their little exchange.  
“You’re not the first one to say that” Ashley said somewhat bitterly. She just wanted to be with Miranda and try to make it up to her for her failures.

“Your dedication is commendable, Lieutenant Commander. And your personal situation didn’t cloud your judgement. Shepard was a criminal. An outlaw and a bastard. He needed to be taken down.” His gaze turned to Miranda, but he was still talking to Ashley. “It must have been hard for both of you. But you got more than just a valuable agent back, Williams.”

Ashley looked at Nihlus with a curious look. She didn’t peg the Spectre as the sentimental type. She didn’t know what to say, but before it became awkward, the connection was established and the hologram of General Anderson popped up behind Nihlus on the counter. The turian didn’t even bother to look back, barely registering the blue glow. He was leaning against the dashboard, arms crossed before his chest, like he was standing next to Anderson.

“Lieutenant Commander Williams.” Anderson greeted her. “Agent Lawson. It is good to have you back.”  
Miranda nodded uncertainly. The man was familiar, but she couldn’t place him. It was getting frustrating.  
“Thank you.”  
“How is your injury, Williams?”  
“Healing fine, sir. I hope I can get back on my feet soon and report for duty.”  
“That won’t be happening for a while, Commander.”  
Ashley was not really surprised. They did skirt many regulations. She knew she would have to take the heat and cover Anderson’s role in it as best as she could. And she understood that Anderson had to keep up the appearances. She didn’t care. As much as she loved serving the Alliance, she loved Miranda more. If they forced her to retire, she wouldn’t be relieved, but she wouldn’t hold a grudge either.

“I understand, General.”  
“I don’t think you do, Williams.” Anderson replied. “You will take a leave of absence of three months for recovery and rehabilitation.” He paused. “Along with Agent Lawson, of course.”  
Ashley nodded. It wasn’t so bad, and Anderson was smart enough not to try to separate them again. Still, three months would be more than enough.

“Then you will report to the Citadel Council for your next assignment.”  
Ashley’s heart skipped a beat. She sat up straight.  
“The Council?”  
“Yes, Commander. You have been selected to join the ranks of the Spectres at the recommendation of Nihlus Kyrik, as soon as you recover. Congratulations.” Anderson waited, letting the news sink in. He tried to keep his voice professional, but it was obvious that he was proud.

“Thank you, sir.” Ashley sighed. The moment she saw Nihlus at the docks, there was a distant possibility that this meeting would end with discussion about the Spectres. She knew Nihlus was on the lookout for a worthy candidate, but she never hoped that she would come out on top, not after the Strontium Mule operation. In the last few days, since she was awake, she went through her failures and slowly gave up on the chance to become a Spectre. She didn’t feel like she was eligible. Certainly didn’t deserve it.

“I’d like to have a few words with the General, Spectre Kyrik, if you don’t mind.”  
“Of course,” the turian nodded and quietly left. Miranda started to leave, too, but Ashley gently pulled her back.

“What did we accomplish here, sir?” Ashley asked when they were left alone. “I had help from half a dozen different sources. Without it, we wouldn’t be here. I can’t take credit for this.”  
“Of course you can, Williams. The four of you, in four months, managed to succeed where a big Alliance operation with considerable resources failed. You just proved that with less men and money you can produce better results, faster. You did better, Commander.”

Ashley was fiddling with Miranda’s hand between her hands, looking at her slender fingers entwined with her callused, battle worn fingers. She looked up at Miranda. She was smiling at her, almost as if she was proud of her. As she slowly crouched down to her, Ashley turned towards the hologram.  
“Surely, you must know, General, that if it wasn’t for Miranda, I would have probably backed down and sat behind a bench for the rest of my career.”

“I know you feel like that, but I am not so sure. I think you would have done it for any of your men.”  
Ashley didn’t believe him. Anderson must have sensed her doubt. “You may have been slower and more subtle, but eventually you would have made it. You have a good head on your shoulders, Williams. It was _you_  who had the idea to involve Kai Leng. You came up with the tactics, you planned the strikes, you secured the money, you convinced Massani. You built a team, Williams, earned their respect and kicked ass all over the Terminus Systems. Shepard may have had an uncanny charm to pull people to him, but ultimately, you beat him. Give yourself some credit. Besides—” He paused, considering his next words. “Even if you don’t believe in yourself now, you still have Agent Lawson to thank. She seems to bring out the best of you, Commander. Maybe Agent Lawson was the... catalyst that helped you reach your full potential.”

Ashley nodded and stared off into space for a while. She knew the doubt was real, but so was Miranda. And Shepard for that matter. This was not just personal because it involved Miranda. She looked at her with foggy eyes and a smile. She had to admit, Miranda _did_  have something about her that made so many people do crazy stuff and throw their lives in turmoil. She almost laughed at that as she returned the caress.

She turned back towards Anderson.  
“Spectres work alone, General. I want this team. I don’t want to work alone.”  
“You don’t have to, Williams.” Anderson was smiling by now. He could see she started to accept the situation. “You will be a Spectre, Ashley. You can do what you damn well want to!”  
Ashley smiled and nodded.  
“Thank you, general,” she said finally, turning serious. “I guess I’ll just need to rest.”  
“Of course, Williams. We need you at your best. Take the time off and get back into shape. See you back on Earth. Anderson out.”

The comm went dark, and Ashley and Miranda were left in the dimness of the room. She was still crouching by her side and their eyes met. Ashley searched her face and found pride and maybe love. She hoped it was love and it was the old Miranda slowly returning to her.  
“What do you say, girl?” she whispered. “Wanna hang out with a Spectre?”

 

END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that’s it, folks, the ballad of the pirate of Terminus. I would like to thank all those who commented on the fill on the KMeme as it progressed. I appreciate the feedback, and kudos to the anon who made me change Jack’s story and gave me the idea to have her become the pirate she needed to be.
> 
> I tried to put as much of the OP’s request into the story as possible, although I couldn’t make it work to have all the LIs fall under Shepard’s influence.
> 
> As it is, the story is 400k characters long, more than 72k words, which is your average mass market paperback novel length. It took me more than 8 weeks to write it and I had to cut a lot of stuff out of it that were not essential to telling the story. I wanted to go into more details and include more characters. It was very tempting, but it would have dragged down the plot. Murdering your darlings is always hard, but these cut scenes may make it into other stories.
> 
> I needed a protagonist to fight Shepard and Ashley seemed to be the logical choice. The Ashley/Miranda pairing was inspired by a bunch of images that I saw on rule34 boards and deviantart, and the fact that it is a rare pairing. But mostly this picture won me over:  
> http://rastifan.deviantart.com/art/Miranda-And-Ashley-333357885  
> (If you can’t see it, it’s naked Miranda lying in bed with naked Ashley resting on her lap. I included this scene in the story itself.)
> 
> Other inspirations were:  
> http://rule34.paheal.net/post/view/1049315  
> http://rule34.xxx/index.php?page=post&s=view&id=1234615
> 
> The tattoo idea was stolen from here:  
> http://dblack930.deviantart.com/art/A-Terrible-Influence-345613390  
> If you can’t see it, it’s Miranda with a Jack tattoo on her belly, with Jack hugging her from behind.  
> It is a lovely picture and would actually love to see the story behind it (maybe as part of a jack the pirate queen story?).
> 
> I also wanted to have as many characters play against type as possible. Thus Liara became a wildcat groupie and Kaidan a psycho. I found the portrayal of his character, just like most of the human male characters in the game lacking of strength and depth. I wanted to have a strong, dangerous Alenko (I read a fill where he raped femshep, and that Kaidan was pretty well written).
> 
> I included Kai Leng for the same reason. He WAS an N7 agent and I thought he was so ridiculously lame and cartoonish (anime-ish?), that I felt the need to make him a proper character and a try to make him a badass. I also had him poke fun at the sword-wielding nonsense, which was very satisfactory for me. And of course I couldn’t resist a Jack/Kai Leng romp, which was one of the darlings I couldn’t murder.
> 
> Garrus was pretty straightforward, a reliable, cool, laconic companion. (Slightly influenced by Zoe from Firefly.)
> 
> I had the showdown in my head from the beginning, and hoped it would work out. Part 12 was the easiest and most fun to write.
> 
> I also realized early on, that the story had its own will and made me write it this way. The missing pieces of the puzzle fell into place all by themselves, I swear I just had to write them down. I have no idea where they came from. I feel bad about what eventually happened to Miranda, I certainly didn’t plan it to be this nasty. I am still debating to write more h/c dribbles or follow-ups to this story that shows them dealing with what happened. I would like to make it up to her, so if anybody has an idea or point me to an unfilled prompt, I’ll try to redeem it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the story.  
> As always, critique is welcome.


End file.
